f.  f 


•t^-\±< 


'^•;t''  =^'*::\ ■':  •> 


7'>'=J!!?1?''' 


PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


Shelf.. 


Section. I. 
Number  ._^..'....\rs^_ 


s.a>i 


THE    LUTHERAN    COMMENTARY 


A    PLAIN    EXPOSITION    OF    THE 


i^olp  J^cripturcsf  of  tf)c  l^cto  €c^tamnit 


BY 

SCHOLARS  OF  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 


EDITED    BY 

HENRY  EYSTER  JACOBS 


Vol.   II. 


mew  l^orft 
€\)t  €J)rijSftian  literature  Co, 


MDCCCXCV 


Th^    Lutlntf.r  ' 

ANNOTATIONS 


ON    THE 


GOSPEL  ACCORDING   TO   ST.  MATTHEW 


CHARLES  F.^SCHAEFFER,  D.D. 

Formerly  Professor  of  Theology,  hi  Cii/iital  University,  Columbus,  O.,  and  in  the 

Theological  Seminary  of  the  General  Synod,  Gettysburg,  Pa.  ;  and 

Chairman  of  the  Theological  Faculty  in  the  Lutlierati 

Theological  Seminary,  Pliiladelphia,  Pa. 


Part  II.— Matthew  XVI.— XXVIII. 


IRew  forft 

€(je  Cftn^eftian  literature  Co» 


MDCCCXCV 


Copyright,  1895, 

v.v 

THE  CHRISTIAN  LITERATURE  CU. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

'  And  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees  came,  and  tempting  him  asked  him 
to  shew  them  a  sign  from  heaven. 

A.  "  The  Jews  require  a  sign,"  said  Paul  (i  Cor.  i  :  22), 
alluding  to  their  dulness  in  apprehending  divine  truth, 
and  their  carnal  desire  after  mere  outward  manifestations 
of  divine  power.  They  require  signs  of  Christ  at  least 
thrice  ;  first,  John  2:18;  second,  above,  12  :  38,  ff. ;  here 
we  have  the  third.  The  Pharisees  as  a  body  always 
manifest  hostility  to  the  Saviour's  holy  doctrine.  The 
individuals  who  appear  here,  undoubtedly  form  a 
different  group  from  those  who  are  presented  on  the 
previous  occasion  (ch.  12)  ;  the  locality,  the  accompany- 
ing discourses,  etc.,  are  different ;  the  Sadducees  here 
unite  with  them,  and  the  request  now  either  assumes  a 
new  form,  or  is  repeated  with  a  distinct  specification — 
the  sign  must  come  from  heaven. — B.  Tempting  (see 
4  :  I,  D.)  ;  the  word  is  here  used  as  in  19  :  3  ;  22  :  18, 
and  John  8  :  6).  In  the  latter  passage  the  word  is  ex- 
plained by  the  additional  clause  :  "  that  they  might  have 
(:=be  enabled)  to  accuse  Him."  The  sense  then  is  :  They 
subjected  Him  to  a  trial  or  test,  which,  as  they  maliciously 
hoped,  He  could  not  successfully  endure. — C.  A  sign,  etc. 
(see  the  ann.  to  12  :  38,  D.). 

^,  3  But  he  answered  and  said  unto  them.  When  it  is  evening,  ye  say,  // 
will  be  fair  weather  :  for  the  heaven  is  red.  And  in  the  morning,  It  will  be 
foul  weather  to-day :  for  the  heaven  is  red  and  lowering.  Ye  know  how 
to  discern  the  face  of  the  heaven  ;  but  ye  cannot  discern  the  signs  of  the 
times  ? 

I 


2  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xvi.  2,3,4. 

A.  He  answered,  etc.  The  Lord  alludes,  as  on  an 
earlier  occasion  (Luke  12  :  54-56),  to  the  well-known  dili- 
gence with  which  the  Jews  observed  the  prognostics  of 
fair  or  foul  weather.  The  sense  is  :  Do  ye  allege  that  ye 
cannot  yet  decide  whether  My  works  prove  that  I  am  of 
God  ?  (John  10  :  38  ;  14  :  ii).  But  ye  regard  the  sky  as 
furnishing  indications  of  the  weather  which  is  at  hand  ; 
can  ye  not  then  judge  with  similar  accuracy  from  My 
past  works  or  signs  that  the  kingdom  of  God  is  come 
unto  you=:that  the  Messiah,  exercising  divine  power, 
"  standeth  among  you"  already?  (John  i  :  26).  See  a 
similar  illustration,  24  :  32,  33. — Lowering=^/^(?wj/  the 
same  word  is  rendered  sad  (Mark  10  :  22). — B.  Discern  = 
Judge  of,  decide  on,  as  the  original  word  sometimes  means 
(e.  g.  I  Cor.  6  :  5).  The  wise  men  (2  :  2)  exhibited  far 
more  religious  intelligence. — C.  The  face  of  the  heaven 
=  the  aspect,  that  is,  the  visible  expanse,  resembling  an 
extended  surface  (comp.  "  face  of  the  earth,"  Gen.  11:4, 
8  ;  Luke  21  :  35). — D.  The  signs  of  the  times  =  the  signs 
already  given,  indicating  the  times  of  the  Messiah. 
These  distinguishing  signs  are,  for  instance,  the  fulfilment 
of  the  ancient  prophecies  respecting  the  birth  of  Christ 
(2  :  4-6),  the  preaching  of  His  forerunner  (3  :  3,  ff. ; 
II  :4-i5),  the  giving  of  the  light  of  the  Gospel  (4  :  14  ff.), 
the  miracles  wrought  by  Christ  (i  i  14,  5). 

*  An  evil  and  adulterous  generation  seeketh  after  a  sign  ;  and  there  shall 
be  no  sign  given  unto  it,  but  the  sign  of  Jonah.  And  he  left  them,  and 
departed. 

As  the  demands  of  the  Jews  proceeded  from  presump- 
tion and  hatred  to  Christ,  and  not  from  a  spirit  of  honest 
inquiry,  He  refuses  to  comply,  and  dismisses  them  with 
the  same  answer  which  He  had  given  to  others  on  the 
previous  occasion  (see  above,  12  :  39),  where  the  terms  are 
explained. — He  left  them  (comp.  Tit.  3  :  10). 


XVI.  5-7-]  Cl/APTER  XVL  3 

5  And  the  disciples  came  to  the  other  side,  and  forgot  to  take  bread. 

A.  The  other  side=of  the  sea  of  Galilee. — B.  Forgot, 
etc.  Possibly  the  Lord,  at  the  close  of  the  foregoing 
conversation,  had  hastened  their  departure  ;  "  one  loaf  " 
(Mark  8  :  14)  alone  remained  of  their  former  stock  of 
provisions. 

*  And  Jesus  said  unto  them,  Take  heed  and  beware  of  the  leaven  of  the 
Pharisees  and  Sadducees. 

A.  Jesus  said  =  in  allusion  to  the  malice  and  hypoc- 
risy which  these  men,  who  preferred  their  own  wisdom  to 
God's  truth,  had  betrayed  during  the  last  conversation. 
Take  heed,  etc.  So,  too,  Paul  frequently  admonishes 
Timothy  and  Titus  to  be  on  their  guard  and  watch 
strictly  over  the  preservation  of  "  sound  doctrine  " 
(i  Tim.  I  :  10;  2  Tim.  1:13;  4:3;  Tit.  i  :  9,  13  ;  2  :  i,  2). 
— B.  Leaven.  An  image  of  any  influence  acting  power- 
fully but  noiselessly  on  the  mind  and  heart.  In  13  :  33, 
B.,  above,  it  illustrates  the  power  of  divine  grace  over  the 
soul.  Here  it  exemplifies  the  powerful  but  corrupting 
influence  of  religious  errors  on  the  minds  and  hearts  of 
the  thoughtless  and  ignorant  (see  below,  ver.  12).  A 
false  doctrine,  like  "a  little  leaven"  (i  Cor.  5:6;  Gal. 
5  :  9),  may  vitiate  an  individual's  whole  system  of  faith, 
and  operate  disastrously  on  his  soul. 

'  And  they  reasoned  among  themselves,  saying,  We  took  no  bread. 

Reasoned  =  reflected,  as  in  Luke  i  :  29  ;  they  sought 
after  the  Lord's  object  in  uttering  the  words.  The  dis- 
ciples at  first  misunderstood  Him,  as  the  words  were  prob- 
ably addressed  to  them  without  any  preliminary  remark, 
and  were  an  abrupt  expression  of  the  Lord's  grief  men- 
tioned in  Mark  8:12.  Their  slowness  of  heart  (Luke 
24  :  25)  in  understanding  and  believing,  had  only  recently 
been  rebuked  (15  :  16).  They  imagine,  in  their  ignorance 
of  their  Master's  spiritual  meaning,  that  He  said  :  Even  as 


4  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xvi.  8-12. 

the  Jews  do  not  eat  with  Gentiles  (Acts  11:2,  3),  so  I 
now  command  you,  My  disciples,  when  ye  need  food,  not 
to  eat  bread  in  company  with  the  Pharisees  and  Saddu- 
cees. 

^  And  Jesus  perceiving  it,  said,  O  ye  of  little  faith,  why  reason  ye  among 
yourselves,  because  ye  have  no  bread  ? 

A,     O  ye  .  .  .  faith  (see  6  :  30,  C). — B.     Why  reason, 

etc.  =  why  do  ye  apprehend  that  ye  will  suffer  from  the 
want  of  food,  even  if  your  carnal  interpretation  of  my 
words  were  correct  ? 

9, '°  Do  ye  not  yet  perceive,  neither  remember  the  five  loaves  of  the  five 
thousand,  and  how  many  baskets  ye  took  up  ?  Neither  the  seven  loaves  of 
the  four  thousand,  and  how  many  baskets  ye  took  up  ? 

The  sense  is  :  When,  on  two  occasions  recently  (14:  15 
fT.  ;  15  :  32  ff.)  no  food  could  be  obtained  by  human 
means,  did  I  not  each  time  supply  the  wants  of  thousands  ? 
Can  you  still  think  that  any  serious  inconvenience  will 
result  from  your  want  of  a  supply  of  food  ?  For  loaves 
(see  26  :  26,  B.). 

"  How  is  it  that  ye  do  not  perceive  that  I  spake  not  to  you  concerning 
bread  ?     But  beware  of  the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees  ? 

How  is  it,  etc.  =  Why  are  ye  so  slow  in  understanding 

that   the  leaven  to  which   I    refer  is   an    image    only  of 

spiritual  things  ?     (Comp.  15  :  16). 

'^  Then  understood  they  how  that  he  bade  them  not  beware  of  the  leaven 
of  bread,  but  of  the  teaching  of  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees. 

A.  Then  =: when  His  rebuke  recalls  their  wandering 
thoughts. — B.  Teaching,  etc.  The  word  teaching,  in- 
cludes not  only  precepts,  articles  of  faith,  etc.,  but  also, 
as  in  7  :  28,  C,  the  general  spirit,  tendency,  or  genius  of 
any  particular  system  of  faith  ("  leaven,"  ver.  6)  ;  see  2 
John,  ver.  9:  10;  Rev.  2  :  14,  15,  24,  and  above,  15  :  3. 
According  to  Luke  12  :  i,  the  characteristic  feature  of 
the   religion    of    the    Pharisees,    was    its   insincerity    or 


XVI.  13.]  CHAPTER  XVI.  5 

"  hypocrisy ;  "  (see  below,  ch.  23  :  3,  B.).  The  Lord's 
words  here,  therefore,  imply :  Be  upright,  "humble  and 
earnest  in  serving  God,  and  beware  of  everything  that 
characterizes  the  sectarian  doctrines  of  the  Pharisees,  as 
distinct  from  the  spiritual  truths  which  they  read  to  you 
in  the  synagogue  (23  :  1-3). 

"  Now  when  Jesus  came  into  the  parts  of  Cesarea  Philippi,  he  asked  his 
disciples,  saying,  Who  do  men  say  that  the  Son  of  man  is  ? 

A.  Parts,  vicinity,  region  of,  as  above,  15  :  21,  B. — B. 
Cesarea  Philippi.  In  the  northern  part  of  Palestine,  an 
ancient  city  named  Paneas  (now  called  by  the  Arabs 
BdiiMs),  was  situated  at  the  southern  base  of  Mount 
Hermon.  The  tetrarch  Philip  (Luke  3  :  i)  rebuilt  it,  and 
in  honor  of  the  emperor  Tiberius  (who,  like  Augustus, 
Luke  2:1;  Claudius,  Acts  1 1  :  28  ;  Nero,  Acts  25  :  8,  and 
other  Roman  emperors,  bore  the  title  of  Caesar,  Luke  20  : 
22  ;  John  19  :  12),  gave  it  the  name  of  Cesarean  Cesar's 
city,  imperial  city.  It  was  called  Philip's  (=  Philippi) 
Cesarea,  in  order  to  distinguish  it  from  another  city  of 
the  same  name  on  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  often  men- 
tioned in  the  Acts,  e.  g.  8  :  40 ;  9  :  30 ;  10  :  i,  where  the 
Roman  procurators  usually  resided  (Acts  23  :  23,  24,  33  ; 
25  :  I  ;  see  below,  27  :  2,  B.). — C.  He  asked  his  disciples 
=  to  whose  faith  in  Him  He  desires  to  give  greater  dis- 
tinctness and  power,  as  ver.  15  shows,  and  whose  future 
official  character  as  His  apostles  and  the  founders  of  the 
Church,  He  now  proposed  to  explain  more  fully  as  the 
close  of  His  labors  approached.  The  conversation  oc- 
curred "  by  the  way  "  (Mark  8  :  27),  after  the  Lord  had 
been  "  alone  praying  "  (Luke  9  :  18). — D.  Who  do  men 
=:that  are  neither  My  disciples  nor  My  declared  enemies, 
etc.;  the  sense  is:  Who  am  I,  according  to  the  popular 
opinion,  I,  who  so  often  (for  instance,  8  :  20  ;  9:6;  10  : 
23)  term  Myself  the  Son  of  man  ?     (See  8  :  20,  B.).     The 


6  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xvi.  14,  15. 

question,  in  another  form,  still  recurs  to  the  believer  in 
his  daily  self-examination  :  What  is  Christ  to  me  f  Is 
He  indeed  precious  to  my  soul  ?     (i  Pet.  2  :  7). 

'*  And  they  said,  Some  say  John  the  Baptist;  some,  Elijah  ;  and  others, 
Jeremiah,  or  one  of  the  prophets. 

A.  John  the  Baptist  (14  :  2,  B.  ;  John  i  :  20). — B. 
Elijah.  Many  Jews,  misinterpreting  the  words  in  Malachi 
4  :  5,  supposed  that  this  prophet  could  re-appear  on  earth 
as  the  immediate  forerunner  of  the  Messiah  (see  1 1  :  14, 
B.  and  17  :  10). — C.  Jeremiah,  etc.  Others  of  the  Jews, 
with  no  better  authority  than  that  of  idle  legends,  sup- 
posed that  Jeremiah  would  be  the  herald  of  the  Messiah  ; 
others,  again,  believed  that  some  one  of  the  prophets  of 
the  O.  T.  not  specified  by  name,  would  hold  the  office. 
Such  opinions  of  the  ignorant  and  unreflecting  present, 
among  other  grave  errors,  these  two  :  first,  that  a  deceased 
prophet  would  return  to  the  earth  at  the  coming  of  the 
Messiah,  and,  secondly,  that  Jesus  was  not  Himself  the 
Messiah,  but,  at  most,  only  His  forerunner.  "  Our  rea- 
son, without  the  light  and  grace  of  revelation,  will  not 
enable  us  to  receive  Christ  according  to  the  true  faith. 
They  who  believe  that  Christ  is  in  nothing  higher  than 
a  holy  man  and  wise  teacher,  or  than  '  one  of  the 
prophets,'  still  walk  in  darkness,  and  do  not  truly  know 
Him"  (John  17  :  3). — Luther. 

*5  He  saith  unto  them,  But  who  say  ye  that  I  am  ? 

The  conversation  was  commenced  by  the  Lord  in  order 
to  reach  the  present  point  =  a  solemn,  direct  and  sincere 
confession  of  faith  on  the  part  of  the  disciples  (comp. 
22  :  42). — Ye=all  the  disciples,  for  "  this  question,  the 
reply  to  it  of  Peter,  or  the  confession  of  faith,  and  the 
following  declaration  of  Christ,  concern  all  the  disciples 
alike,  and  not  Peter  alone." — LuTHER. 


XVI.  i6,  17.]  CHAPTER  XVL  7 

"  And  Simon  Peter  answered  and  said,  Thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of 
the  hving  God. 

A.  Answered  =  in  the  name  of  all,  for  Christ  had 
asked  the  question  of  all  (comp.  John  6  :  69). — B.  The 
Christ=the  Messiah  Himself  (see  the  explanation  of  the 
term,  i  :  i,  B.,  and  comp.  26  :  63). — C.  The  Son  =  not 
merely  the  Son  of  man,  possessing  a  human  nature,  but 
also  the  Son  of  God  =  divine  (see  3  :  17,  B.  and  8  :  29,  C, 
D.  Living  God.  The  term  living,  repeatedly  and  em- 
phatically applied  to  God  (Acts  14  :  15  ;  2  Cor.  3:3; 
Hebr.  3:12;  10  :  31  ;  Rev.  7  :  2),  belongs  to  Him  alone, 
inasmuch  as  He  who  always  was,  and  always  will  be,  and 
who  alone  "hath  life  in  Himself"  (John  5  :  26),  is  the 
source  of  all  life.  The  idols  or  gods  of  the  heathen  "  are 
nothing  in  the  world  "  (i  Cor.  8  :  4),  and  the  life  of  men 
and  angels  depends  on  His  will  (comp.  26  :  63,  D.).  The 
sense  is :  We  believe  that  Thou  art  not  only  the  prom- 
ised Messiah,  our  Deliverer  from  sin  and  death,  but  also 
that  Thou  art  the  eternal  and  only  begotten  Son  of  God 
(John  I  :  14,  18),  our  only  Lord  and  King. 

''  And  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Blessed  art  thou,  Simon  Bar- 
jona  :  for  flesh  and  blood  hath  not  revealed  it  unto  thee,  but  my  Father 
which  is  in  heaven. 

A.  Blessed^very  happy,  highly  favored  (see  5  :  3,  B.). 
. — B.  Bar=jona=son  of  Jonas  (see  John  i  :  42  ;  21  :  16). 
The  word  bai\  a  Qialdee  term  often  occurring  in  Jewish 
names  (e.  g.  Acts  4  :  36,  signifies  soii). — C.  Flesh  and 
blood.  This  expression  in  Eph.  6:12,  and  especially  in 
Gal.  I  :  16,  referring  to  the  distinguishing  attributes  of 
man  in  his  present  state  (see  i  Cor.  15  :  50),  evidently 
designates  that  which  is  /^z/;;z«;z= feeble,  transitory,  etc., 
as  contra-distinguished  from  the  divine  perfections.  It  is 
hence  here  equivalent  to  the  terms  :  feeble  human  reason 
or  wisdom,   imperfect  human   knowledge,  skill,  etc. — D. 


8  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xvi.  18. 

Hath  not  .  .  .  heaven.  These  deep  truths  respecting 
Christ's  nature  or  person,  His  atoning  work,  etc.,  can  be 
known  only  from  revelation  through  grace  (Matt.  1 1  :  27  ; 
I  Cor.  2  :  10 ;  12:3;  Gal.  i  :  15,  16 ;  i  John  4  :  2).  "  I 
cannot  by  my  own  reason  or  strength  believe  in  Jesus 
Christ  my  Lord,  or  come  to  Him  ;  but  the  Holy  Spirit 
hath  called  me  through  the  Gospel,  etc." — Luther's 
Explanation  of  the  Creed. — The  Saviour  terms  Peter 
blessed  for  a  twofold  reason  :  first,  because  the  Father 
condescended  to  reveal  such  momentous  and  life-giving 
truths  to  him,  and,  secondly,  because  Peter  himself  had 
followed  the  guidance  of  divine  grace,  and  received  the 
truth  with  a  believing,  trusting  and  joyful  heart,  not  like 
the  "devils  who  also  believe  and  tremble"  (James  2  :  19). 

'*  And  I  also  say  unto  thee,  That  thou  art  Peter,  and  upon  this  rock  I 
will  build  my  church  ;  and  the  gates  of  Hades  shall  not  prevail  against  it. 

A.  And  I  .  .  .  thee=Thy  confession  of  faith  is  so 
prompt,  sound  and  sincere,  that  I  will  now  reveal  the 
nature  of  thy  future  apostolic  commission.  From  this 
period,  also  (ver.  21),  the  Lord  began  to  speak  plainly  of 
His  approaching  sufferings  and  death. — B.  Thou  art 
Peterrr: remember  thy  surname  of  Peter.  The  Lord 
alludes  to  an  earlier  occasion  (John  i  :  42),  when  He  gave 
to  Simon  the  name  of  Cephas  or  Kephas.  This  word 
means  stone,  or,  rather,  rock,  and  the  Hebrew  form  of  the 
word  {KepJi,  plur.  KepJiitn  ;  Syr.  and  dial.  Kepha)  is  so 
translated  in  Job  30  :  6  ;  Jer.  4  :  29.  (When  the  word 
rock  in  Greek  stands  as  the  name  of  Simon,  it  has  the 
form  Pctros,  the  final  syllable  being  a  masculine  termina- 
tion ;  but  when  it  is  to  be  understood  in  the  sense  of 
rock,  as  in  this  verse,  and  in  Matt.  7  :  24 ;  Rom.  9:33; 
I  Cor.  10:4,  the  last  syllable  usually  has  the  Greek 
feminine  form,  namely, /r/r^.)  It  is  worthy  of  observa- 
tion that  Mark,  Luke  and  John  omit  these  Avords  entirely; 


XVI.  i8.J  CHAPTER  XVI.  9 

this  circumstance  plainly  shows  that  they  did  not  find  in 
them  the  sense  which  the  Papists  ascribe  to  the  passage 
in  their  vain  attempt  to  justify  the  pernicious  doctrine 
respecting  the  primacy  of  the  Pope. — C,  And  upon  this 
rock  (Greek,  petra,  not  Petros — thus  indicating  that  the 
rock  is  not  Peter  himself).  A  rock  is  a  familiar  image 
indicating  power,  stability,  security  (Ps.  27  :  5).  Hence 
God  is  called  a  rock  (Deut.  32:4;  2  Sam.  22  :  2  ;  Ps. 
18:2);  thus,  too,  David  calls  the  Lord  the  rock  of  his 
salvation  (Ps.  89  :  26  ;  2  Sam.  22  :  47).  Now,  in  view  of 
such  scriptural  language,  and  also  of  the  superstructure, 
namely,  the  Church  of  Christ,  which  is  to  be  built  upon 
the  rock,  it  is  already  evident  that  a  feeble  mortal  cannot 
possibly  constitute  such  an  enduring  foundation. — D.  I 
will  build  my  church.  After  the  Church  had  been  actu- 
ally organized,  the  name  church,  was  repeatedly  employed 
in  the  Acts,  the  Epistles  and  the  Revelation  ;  it  occurs 
only  in  one  other  verse  in  the  four  Gospels,  namely. 
Matt.  18  :  17.  In  the  latter  passage  the  Lord  evidently 
refers  to  the  Church  as  a  visible  organization,  that  is, 
consisting  of  members  publicly  known  and  recognized 
as  such.  In  this  sense  the  Church,  when  rightly  consti- 
tuted, consists  of  all  believers  among  whom  the  Gospel 
is  preached  in  its  purity,  and  the  holy  Sacraments  are 
administered  according  to  the  Gospel.  Among  these  be- 
lievers, however,  "  tares  "  (13  :  25,  38),  that  is,  hypocrites 
and  false  Christians,  may  exist,  for  God  alone  knows  the 
heart.  In  the  present  passage,  on  the  other  hand,  the 
Lord  appears  to  speak  of  the  Church,  as  it  is  designed  to 
exist  on  earth,  consisting  of  true  believers  and  saints 
alone.  These,  whose  faith,  hopes  and  internal  light  and 
glory,  cannot  be  seen  with  the  eye  (comp.  Col.  i  :  13) 
constitute  the  invisible  Church,  and  of  them  it  is  said  : 
"  The  Lord  knoweth  them  that  are  His  "  (2  Tim.  2  :  19). 


lo  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [XYI.  i8. 

It  is  further  styled  :  "  a  glorious  church,  etc."  (Eph. 
5  :  27).  This  Church,  in  its  spiritual  and  holy  character, 
in  which  light,  life  and  peace  dwell  (Rom.  14  :  17),  and 
which  Christ  in  various  parables  terms  tJic  kingdom  of  God 
(see  Excursus  L),  is  the  church  to  which  reference  is 
made  in  the  present  text.  The  word  build  indicates  the 
image,  originally  derived  from  the  holy  temple,  of  an 
edifice  constructed  of  suitable  materials,  and  established 
on  a  firm  foundation  ;  the  image  often  occurs  (i  Cor. 
3  :  9,  ff. ;  2  Cor.  6  :  16;  Eph.  2  :  20;  i  Peter  2  :  5).  Now, 
since  the  whole  constitutes,  according  to  the  character  of 
the  invisible  church,  as  just  described,  a  spiritual  build- 
ing, and  is,  indeed  called  "  a  spiritual  house  "  in  i  Peter 
2  :  5,  it  is  evident  again  (as  in  ann.  C.  above)  that  the 
foundation  cannot  be  any  one  living  man,  like  Peter,  but 
must  be  of  a  spiritual  and  divine  nature.  Further,  that 
foundation  is  declared  in  Eph.  2  :  20 ;  Rev.  21  :  14,  to  be, 
or  to  consist  of,  "  the  apostles  and  prophets  "  whose  holy 
doctrines  and  preaching  alone  gave  them  rank  and  im- 
portance ;  they  again  are  all  supported  by  Jesus  Christ, 
He  Himself  being  the  "  chief  corner  stone  "  (i  Peter  2  :  6), 
the  "author  and  finisher  of  our  faith"  (Hebr.  12:2).  But 
these  apostles  and  prophets  have  long  since  passed  away, 
while  the  doctrine  which  they  taught  by  inspiration,  and 
by  which  they  edified  or  built  up  the  church  (Eph.  4:11, 
12)  remains  forever;  therefore  the  foundation  can  be  only 
the  life-giving  doctrine  (John  6  :  63),  which  proceeds  from, 
and  which  conducts  to,  a  crucified  Redeemer  ;  it  is  this 
doctrine  which  constituted  the  great  topic  of  apostolic 
preaching  (Acts  4:12;  i  Cor.  2  :  2  ;  3  :  1 1),  namely:  Jesus 
Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  is  the  Christ  or  MessiaJi.  The  rock 
which  supports  the  church  can  be  nothing  else  than  the 
fundamental  doctrine  (i  Cor.  2  :  2)  that  Christ  came  into 
the  world  to  save  lost  sinners  b\'  shedding  His  blood  for 


XVI.  19-]  CHAPTER  XV J.  II 

the  remission  of  sins. — E.  And  the  gates,  etc.  For  the 
explanation  of  the  word  Hades,  see  above  (ii  :  23,  B.). 
Here  it  designates  specially  the  kingdom  of  Satan.  As 
in  the  case  of  the  church  above,  so,  too,  its  opposite,  or 
Satan's  kingdom,  is  compared  to  a  vast  edifice,  strongly 
fortified ;  the  strength  of  the  gates  placed  at  the  entrance 
may  be  assumed  to  correspond  to  the  strength  of  the 
edifice  itself.  Hence  gates,  as  in  Job  38  :  17,  are  an 
image  of  strength  or  power.  Prevail,  as  in  Luke  23  :  23, 
=  overcome,  overpower.  The  sense  then  is  :  All  the 
malice  and  the  power  which  Satan  who  "  had  the  power 
of  death  "  (Hebr.  2  :  14)  exercises  in  opposing  the  growth 
and  success  of  the  church  (Matt.  13  :  19,  27,  28  ;  Eph. 
6  :  16)  shall  be  finally  prostrated  and  overcome  (i  Cor. 
15  54>  55  ;  Col.  2:15;  2  Tim.  i  :  10 ;  Hebr.  2  :  14),  and 
Christ,  the  Head  of  the  Church  (Eph.  2  :  22)  shall  finally 
put  all  His  enemies  under  His  feet  (i  Cor.  15  :  25,  26). 

"  And  I  will  give  unto  thee  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  :  and 
whatsoever  thou  shalt  bind  on  earth  shall  be  bound  in  heaven  :  and  what- 
soever thou  shalt  loose  on  earth  shall  be  loosed  in  heaven. 

A.  And  .  .  .  thee.  The  time  when  this  promise  of 
giving  the  keys  was  fulfilled,  doubtless  coincided  both 
with  that  in  which  the  Lord  "  breathed  "  on  His  disciples 
(John  20  :  22,  23),  and  with  that  in  which  the  disciples 
were  "  baptized  with  the  Holy  Ghost,"  and  "  received 
power"  (Acts  i  :  5,  8  ;  Luke  24  :  49),  that  is,  on  the  day 
of  Pentecost  (Acts  2  :  i,ff.).  Peter  is  specially  addressed 
because  he  had  spoken  in  the  name  of  the  other  apostles. 
No  rights  or  privileges  are  here  granted  to  him  exclu- 
sively. So,  too,  the  command  to  feed  the  Lord's  lambs 
— sheep  (=preach  the  Gospel,  etc.)  in  John  21  :  15-17, 
applied  to  all  the  other  apostles  also.  Indeed,  the  com- 
mission here  given  to  him,  is  afterwards  extended  in 
c']ual  fulness  and  power  to  all  the  other  apostles,  and  to 


12  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xvi.  19. 

the  Church  generally,  in  ch.  18:  18,  19;  John  20:23. 
(See  also  Gal.  2:9;  Eph.  2  :  20 ;  Rev.  21  :  14,  and  in  ref- 
erence to  Paul,  Rom.  i  :  14;  i  Cor.  9  :  16;  2  Cor.  11:5; 
12:11).  Peter  accordingly  never  claims  higher  rank, 
authority  or  privileges  than  his  fellow-disciples,  the  other 
"  pillars  "  of  the  Church  (Gal.  2  :  9),  exercised  (comp.  Acts 
15  :  6-23;  I  Pet.  2  :  5,  6;  5:1).  Hence  it  is  obvious 
that  the  Romish  pope's  claims  of  supremacy  as  Peter's 
successor,  which  rest  mainly  on  this  passage,  proceed 
from  impious  pride  and  unbelief  alone. — B.  The  keys  .  .  . 
heaven.  The  kingdom  of  heaven,  as  explained  in  ver.  18, 
D.,  above,  is  the  Church  of  Christ  viewed  as  the  con- 
gregation of  true  believers  or  saints.  Now  he  who  was 
authorized  to  carry  the  key  of  a  building,  was  invested 
with  authority  both  to  admit  and  also  to  exclude  (see 
Isai.  22  :  22).  The  Pharisees  and  lawyers  (= interpreters 
of  the  law)  took  away  the  key  of  knowledge,  as  the 
Lord  declares  (Luke  ii  :  52  ;  Matt.  23  :  13),  when  they 
restrained  the  people  from  listening  to  Christ,  believing 
in  Him,  and  obtaining  salvation.  Here  the  keys  represent 
a  certain  authority  to  admit  or  exclude  in  reference  to 
the  Church  of  Christ,  and  this  authority  seems  to  indi- 
cate an  ofBcial  act  that  follows  the  regular  preaching  of 
the  Gospel,  in  place  of  being  simply  that  preaching  itself 
(see  ann.  to  18:18).  According  to  John  20  :  23,  when 
the  Lord  gave  the  same  commission  to  all  the  apostles, 
He  breathed  on  them,  and  communicated  to  them  the  Holy 
Ghost.  By  virtue  of  this  gift  (with  which  compare  the  gift 
of  "  discerning  of  spirits,"  i  Cor.  12  :  10),  the  apostles  were 
enabled  to  distinguish  between  true  believers  and  hypo- 
crites. See  an  illustration  in  the  case  of  Ananias  and 
Sapphira  (Acts,  ch.  5) ;  Paul,  in  2  Cor.  2  :  6,  10,  forgives 
certain  individual  whom  he  had  bou?id  (^excommuni- 
cated   and    punished),  (i    Cor.    5  :  3-5  ;    see  also   i   Tim. 


XVI.  19-]  CHAPTER  XVI.  13 

1  :  20).  To  sincere  believers  they  declared  the  divine 
forgiveness  of   sins  (Eph.  4  :  32  ;  James  5:15;    i   John 

2  :  12).  To  the  ungodly  and  hypocritical  they  denied 
Christian  privileges  and  mercies.  The  ofifice  of  the  keys 
is  now  explained  by  many  as  referring  to  the  exercise  of 
church  discipline  (the  excommunication,  restoration,  etc., 
of  members)  as  distinct  from  the  ordinary  act  of  preach- 
ing the  Gospel  (see  below,  18  :  18). — C.  Whatsoever,  etc. 
This  promise  is  repeated,  and  its  application  extended  to 
all  other  disciples  of  the  Lord  (see  below,  18  :  18,  19). — 
Bind.  For  this  figurative  term  a  literal  phrase  is  sub- 
stituted in  John  20  :  23,  namely,  "  whose  soever  sins  ye 
retain,"  that  is,  whom  ye  refuse  to  absolve  and  whom  ye 
declare  to  be  impenitent.  For  an  illustration  see  Acts 
8  :  20-23. — D.  On  earth=in  the  visible  church  on  earth. 
— E.  Shall  .  .  .  heaveni^your  sentence,  dictated  by  the 
Holy  Ghost,  will  be  equivalent  to  a  divine  judgment. 
For  an  illustration  see  Acts  15  :  25,  28. — F.  Loose= 
"  whose  soever  sins  ye  remit  "  (John  20 :  23),  and  whom  ye 
admit  to  church-fellowship,  by  virtue  of  the  authority 
now  given  to  you,  and  in  conformity  to  the  divine 
will.  For  an  illustration  see  Acts  8  :  14-17. — Q.  Shall  .  .  . 
heaven.^such  shall  receive  the  divine  pardon  of  his  sins. 
The  keys  (or  the  ofifice  of  administering  discipline  and 
imparting  the  promises  of  the  Gospel  respecting  the 
divine  forgiveness  in  the  case  of  a  penitent  believer),  even 
though  the  gift  of  "  discerning  of  spirits "  no  longer 
exists  on  earth,  still  belong  to  the  Church,  to  which  they 
were  subsequently  given  (see  below.  Matt.  18  :  15-20). 
But  while  the  apostles  themselves  could  virtually  remit 
and  retain  sins,  in  consequence  of  their  inspired  knowl- 
edge, the  Church  at  present  can  grant  only  a  conditional 
absolution,  that  is,  can  declare  to  individuals  the  for- 
giveness of  their  sins  only  when  they  are  truly  penitent 


14  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xvi.  20,  21. 

and  sincerely  exercise  faith  in  Christ.  The  sentence  is 
always  ratified  by  the  Searcher  of  hearts  in  the  case  of 
those  who  truly  believe  that  their  sins  are  forgiven  for 
Christ's  sake  (see  below,  18  :  18). 

^°  Then  charged  he  the  disciples  that  they  should  tell  no  man  that  he 
was  the  Christ. 

A.  The  Christ=the  Messiah  (see  ver.  16). — B.  The 
strict  (Luke  9:21)  prohibition  here  mentioned  differs  in 
its  main  purpose  from  the  one  explained  above  (8  :  4,  A.). 
Like  the  one  mentioned  below  (17  :  9),  it  referred  to  the 
danger  of  producing  an  undue  political  excitement 
among  the  Jews  before  the  Lord's  "  hour  was  come  " 
(John  13:1;  17  :  0-  ^^^^  people  did  not  yet  under- 
stand the  spiritual  nature  of  the  Messiah's  kingdom  (see 
John  18  :  36),  and  the  premature  public  announcement 
that  Jesus  was  the  true  Messiah  would  have  led  to  dis- 
astrous tumults.  These  did  afterwards  occur,  when 
several  impostors  respectively  claimed  that  august  title. 
After  Christ's  resurrection,  this  temporary  prohibition  was 
changed  into  the  command  :  "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world, 
etc."  (Mark  16  :  15). 

^'  From  that  time  began  Jesus  to  shew  unto  his  disciples,  how  that  he 
must  go  unto  Jerusalem,  and  suffer  many  things  of  the  elders  and  chief 
priests  and  scribes,  and  be  killed,  and  the  third  day  be  raised  up. 

A.  From  that  time=not  before,  but  now,  when  the 
knowledge  and  confidence  of  the  disciples  had  been  so 
far  matured  as  to  lead  to  an  unequivocal  and  unhesitating 
expression  of  their  faith  that  the  lowly  Jesus  was  the 
Lord  of  all  (see  ver.  16,  ff.).— B.  Began  Jesus  to  shew, 
etc.  Some  religious  truths  cannot  be  properly  compre- 
hended without  previous  exercise  of  the  heart  and  mind 
in  religious  doctrine  (comp.  Mark  4  :  33  ;  i  Cor.  3  :  1,2; 
Hebr.  6:1,  ff.).  So,  too,  if  the  disciples  had  been  in- 
formed of  the  awful  mode  in  which  Christ  was  to   die, 


XVI.  21.]  CHAPTER  XVI.  15 

before  they  were  qualified  to  understand  the  gracious 
purpose  of  God  in  permitting  it  (Acts  4  :  27,  28  ;  5  :  30, 
31),  they  would  not  have  been  able  "to  bear"  (John 
16  :  1 2)  =  to  support  or  comprehend  it.  But  now,  His 
divine  words  and  acts  had  so  enlightened  and  strength- 
ened them,  that  the  mournful  prophecy,  even  if  not  im- 
mediately fully  comprehended,  would  at  least  not  cause 
them  to  "  go  back  and  walk  no  more  with  Him  "  (John 
6  :  66). — C.  How  He  must.  The  Greek  word,  often  ren- 
dered must,  as  in  24  :  6  ;  26  :  54,  is  as  often  translated 
ought  (Luke  24  :  26),  but  also  behooved  (Luke  24  :  46),  was 
needful  {Acts  15:5).  It  indicates  at  times  some  kind  of 
obligation,  and  specially,  that  which  proceeds  from  a 
divine  arrangement,  purpose,  etc.  as  in  John  3  :  14;  20  :  9; 
Acts  4:12;  14  :  22.  It  was  "  according  to  Scriptures  " 
(i  Cor.  15:3,  4)  that  Christ  died  and  rose  again  (sec 
Matt.  26  :  54  ;  Luke  24  :  27,  44).  The  first  promise  of  a 
Redeemer  occurs  Gen.  3:15;  subsequently,  very  striking 
prophecies  respecting  His  sufferings,  death  and  resurrec- 
tion are  found  (see  Ps.  22;  Isai.  50:6;  ch.  53;  Hosea 
6:2;  Zech.  12  :  10;  and  Ps.  16  :  10  compared  with  Acts 
2  :  24,  27).  Now,  as  the  "  gifts  and  calling  of  God  are 
without  repentance"  (Rom.  11  :  29)  =  as  God  neither 
regrets  nor  forgets  His  promises,  the  fulfilment  of  the 
divine  promises  rendered  it  needful  ("  must ")  that,  in 
accordance  with  them  the  Lord  Jesus,  who  "  was  fore- 
ordained before  the  foundation  of  the  world  "  (i  Peter 
I  :  20  ;  Eph.  1:4;  Rev.  13  :  8)  should  suffer,  die,  and 
rise  again  (see  20  :  22,  C).  The  same  Greek  word  some- 
times indicates  that  which  is  natural,  proper,  meet  (Luke 
15  :  32  ;  Acts  23  :  11),  sometimes  the  certainty  of  future 
events,  as  in  Matt.  24  :  6;  i  Cor.  15  :  53. — D.  Elders  .  .  . 
scribes  =  the  Sanhedrim. — E.  Raised  again.  The  glory 
which  succeeded  the  shame  of  the  cross  is  also  revealed 


l6  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xvi.  22. 

(Luke  24 :  26). — F,  The  third  day.  The  Lord  here  sup- 
phes  His  disciples  with  an  infaUible  test  of  His  divine 
mission.  If  Christ  should  not  be  raised  on  the  third  day, 
their  faith  was  vain  (i  Cor.  15  :  17);  but  if  He  did  rise 
on  the  third  day,  that  resurrection  became  a  sure  founda- 
tion of  faith  (Acts  2  :  32),  for  thereby  He  was  declared 
to  be  the  Son  of  God  (Rom.  i  :  4). 

^^  And  Peter  took  him,  and  began  to  rebuke  him,  saying,  Be  it  far  from 
thee,  Lord  :  this  shall  never  be  unto  thee. 

A.  Took  W'xm^graspcd Hijn  with  His  hand,  or,  possibly, 
took  Him  aside.  Peter  was  deeply  moved  by  the  thought 
that  his  adored  Master  should  consent  to  suffer  such  a 
death. — B.  To  rebuke=to  speak  earnestly  to  Him,  or, 
charged  Him,  as  the  same  Avord  is  translated  in  12  :  16, 
or,  expostulated  with  Him,  as  in  Luke  17  :  3,  "rebuke." 
— C.  Be  .  .  .  from  thee.  Some  suppose  the  phrase  to 
correspond  to  one  in  Hebrew,  which  is  an  exclamation 
of  abhorrence,  nearly  equivalent  in  sense  to  :  Azvay  zvitJi 
that  !  If  it  is  interpreted  in  the  Greek  sense,  it  is  equi- 
valent to  :  God  be  rnereifiil  to  thee  .'=.yidiy  God  preserve 
thee  from  such  an  end  !  The  former  interpretation  is 
more  probably  the  correct  one. — D.  This  shall,  etc.= 
this  must  )wt  take  place.  (The  Greek  double  negative 
with  a  future  tense  or  adv.  subj.  often  involves  the 
thought  that  the  event  mentioned  shall  not,  must  not  by 
any  means  occur.)  The  warmth  of  Peter's  affection  for 
his  Master,  and  the  impetuosity  of  his  character  betray 
him  into  declarations  which  pointedly  contradict  the 
divine  will  and  purpose  as  announced  by  the  Lord  in  ver. 
21.  He  did  not  yet  understand  the  sublime  truth  that 
Christ  was  to  become  a  perfect  Saviour  by  suffering,  and 
then  be  crowned  with  glory  and  honor  (Hebr.  2  :  9,  10). 
Compare  with  his  present  imperfect  views,  his  own  later 
declarations  (i  Peter  2  :  21,  ff. ;  3  :  18,  ff.). 


XVI.  23.]  CHAPTER  XVI.  17 

^^  But  he  turned  and  said  unto  Peter,  Get  thee  behind  me,  Satan  :  thou 
art  a  stumbling  block  unto  me  :  for  thou  mindest  not  the  things  of  God, 
but  the  things  of  men. 

A.  But  He  (Jesus)  turned=away  from  Peter.  Even 
sentiments  of  pure  friendship  and  love  must  be  controlled 
by  wisdom,  and  submit  readily  to  the  divine  will. — B. 
Get  .  .  .  Satan.  The  same  phrase,  indicating  the  utmost 
abhorrence,  was  employed  once  before  by  the  Lord  (Luke 
4:8;  see  Matt.  4  :  10,  A.).  For  the  word  Satan  see 
4:  I,  E.  The  sentiment  which  Peter  expressed,  however 
affectionate  it  might  be,  was  not  inspired  by  faith  in 
God's  wisdom  and  love,  nor  by  a  child-like  submission  to 
the  divine  will  ;  hence  it  was  "  sin  "  (Rom.  14  :  23).  For, 
all  the  thoughts  and  feelings  of  man  which  come  in  con- 
flict with  the  divine  purpose  and  will,  proceed  ultimately 
from  Satan  himself  (Acts  5:3;  26  :  18).  As  Satan  "  hin- 
dered "  Paul  in  his  labors  (i  Thess.  2  :  18),  so  he  here  at- 
tempts to  hinder  Christ  =  to  discourage  Him  by  means  of 
the  entreaties  of  a  friend.  While  he  seeks  to  influence 
Peter  who  is  a  friend  of  Jesus,  he  is  again  "  transformed 
into  an  angel  of  light  "  (2  Cor.  1 1  :  14).  Christ,  by  whose 
revelations  the  apostles  ceased  to  be  "  ignorant  of  Satan's 
devices  "  (2  Cor.  2  :  11),  appears  to  allude  to  the  tempta- 
tion described  in  ch.  4,  and  reveals  to  Peter,  by  addressing 
Satan  directly,  that  the  unclean  spirit  had  instigated  him 
to  speak  as  he  did.  When  afterwards  Satan  again  ex- 
ercised his  power,  he  prevailed ;  for  the  love  of  money 
and  the  dishonesty  of  Judas  had  opened  an  avenue  for 
him  (John  12  :  6;  Luke  22  :  3). — C.  Thou  art  a  stum- 
bling block  unto  Me.  The  sense  is  :  If  I  listened  to  thy 
fair  words,  as  Eve  once  listened  to  the  same  subtle 
tempter  (Gen.,  ch.  3),  and  did  not  now  repel  him,  I  would 
stumble  in  the  path  of  duty.  By  dissuading  Me  from 
exposing  My  life,  thou  puttest  an  occasion  to  fall,  in  My 
2 


1 8  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xvi.  24,  25. 

way  (Rom.  14  :  13).  We  may  easily  commit  sins  in 
thought,  word  or  deed,  the  true  source  and  character  of 
which  we  heedlessly  omit  to  consider,  but  which  are  very 
grievous  sins  in  the  eyes  of  God. — D.  Thou  mindest. 
The  original  term  here  employed  is  translated  to  be 
minded  (Rom.  15:5;  Gal.  5  :  10),  and  frequently  desig- 
nates the  general  disposition  or  character  of  the  mind 
(Phil.  2:5;  3  :  19).  Thus  in  i  Cor.  13  :  11,  where  it  also 
occurs  :  "  I  understood  diS  a  child,"  it  is  equivalent  to  :  I 
had  the  sentiments  or  feelings  of  a  child.  The  same 
word,  with  the  same  construction,  occurs  in  Rom.  8  :  5, 
"they  do  inind"^are  intent  on,  governed  by.  This  last 
passage  shows  that  the  sense  here  is  :  Thy  thoughts  and 
sentiments,  as  now  expressed,  are  not  "of  God"  =  accord- 
ing  to  God's  will,  but  "  of  men  "=such  as  erring,  unwise 
and  carnal  men  entertain  ;  it  was  not  the  divine  Spirit, 
but  human  nature  influenced  by  Satan,  that  prompted 
those  words. 

24.2s  Then  said  Jesus  unto  his  disciples,  If  any  man  would  come  after  me, 
let  him  deny  himself,  and  take  up  his  cross,  and  follow  me. — For  whoso- 
ever would  save  his  life  shall  lose  it :  and  whosoever  shall  lose  his  life  for 
my  sake  shall  find  it. 

A.  Then  said  Jesus.  He  repeats  the  solemn  words 
which  He  had  pronounced  on  a  former  occasion  (10  :  38, 
39),  with  a  special  reference  to  Peter's  state  of  mind, 
although  speaking  "  to  all  "  the  disciples  (Luke  9  :  23). 
The  sense  then  is :  Not  only  shall  I  suffer  persecution 
and  death,  but  ye  also,  if  ye  remain  My  followers,  must 
expect  a  similar  lot  {the  fellozuship  of  My  sufferings,  Phil. 
3  :  10). — If  any  man  will=/j-  ivilling,  as  in  John  5  :  35, 
desires  to  come,  etc.  The  opposite  will  or  purpose  is 
mentioned  in  John  5  :  40.  Man  is  not  introduced  into 
heaven  by  force  ;  his  own  will,  wishes  and  desires  to 
escape  from  the  wrath  to  come,  and  his  own  conviction  of 


XVI.  26,  27.]  CHAPTER  XVI.  19 

his  need  of  a  Saviour  must  conduct  him  to  Christ.  Such  a 
disposition  is  wrought  in  all  who  do  not  resist  the  Divine 
Spirit. — B.  Let  him  deny  himself.  The  phrase  :  deny  him- 
self \s  equivalent  to  :  not  to  knozv  himself  =not  to  regard  at 
all  his  personal  feelings  or  wishes  (comp.  Matt.  26  :  34, 
74).  It  implies  here  not  only  the  control  and  suppression 
of  all  ungodly  lusts  (Tit.  2  :  12),  but  also  the  willing  sac- 
rifice of  all  our  natural  affections  in  the  service  of  God 
(Matt.  10  :  37  ;  19  :  29),  like  that  of  Abraham  (Gen.  ch. 
22),  and  a  prompt  submission  to  the  will  of  God. 

^^  For  what  shall  a  man  be  profited,  if  he  shall  gam  the  whole  world,  and 
forfeit  his  life  ?  or  what  shall  a  man  give  in  exchange  for  his  life  ? 

A,     Life  (see  above,  10:  39,  A.  and  B.). — B.    The  whole 

world^all  temporal  riches,  power  and  pleasures  (comp. 
I  John  2:15-17;  Matt.  4:8,9;  John  18:36;  James 
4  :  4). — C.  Lose  his  Iife=be  consigned  to  eternal  torment 
after  death. — D.  Give  in  exchange  for=with  what  can 
he  purchase  back  and  deliver  his  life  or  soul.  The  original 
word  signifies  that  zuhich  is  exchanged  against  any  thing 
an  equivalent,  a  price  paid.  The  sense  is :  Does  man 
possess  any  means  for  saving  his  soul,  when  he  has  for- 
feited it  by  becoming  the  servant  of  sin  ?  What  will  he 
ultimately  gain,  if,  in  the  hope  of  "  enjoying  the  pleasures 
of  sin  for  a  season  "  (Hebr.  11  :  25),  he  thereby  incurs  as 
a  punishment  the  eternal  loss  of  his  soul.  No  price  can 
redeem  the  sinner  except  that  which  Christ  paid  (i  Cor. 
6  :  20),  namely  his  blood  (i  Pet.  T:  18,  19). 

^'  For  the  Son  of  man  shall  come  in  the  glory  of  his  Father  with  his 
angels ;  and  then  shall  he  render  unto  every  man  according  to  his  deeds. 

A.     For  .  .  .  come.     The  future  coming  of  the  Lord, 

for  the  purpose  of  judging   man,  is  more  fully  described 

in  ch.  24  :  27-31,  and  25  :  31-46.     It  is  here  revealed  for 

the  purpose  of  cheering  the  disciples,  whom  the  prospect 

of  earthly  trials  had  greatly  moved  (see  2  Thess.  i  :  7,  fT.; 


20  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xvi.  28. 

2  :  i).  He,  to  whom  the  divine  office  of  judging  the 
world  belongs  (John  5  :  22),  will  come  as  the  Son  of  man 
=His  human  and  divine  nature  are  united  inseparably 
and  forever. — B.  In  the  glory  of  his  Father=revealed 
in  His  divine  glory  (Matt.  25  :  31  ;  John  i  :  14),  which 
He  had  with  the  Father  before  the  world  was  (John 
17  :  5). — C.  With  his  angels,  as  in  Matt.  24  :  30,  31  ; 
25  :  31  (see  above,  13  :  39,  C). — D.  Render=pay  (20  :  8 
and  18  :  28) ;  render  (22  :  21),  that  is,  make  a  correspond- 
ing return.  The  doctrine  of  a  future  state  of  retribution 
for  the  just  and  unjust  is  here  announced. —  Deeds,  lit. 
zvorking,  eloing,  corresponding  to  labor  in  i  Cor.  3  :  8. 
The  term  expresses  the  controlling  good  or  evil  tendency 
of  the  heart  of  the  individual,  as  revealed  in  the  conduct. 

^^  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  There  be  some  of  them  that  stand  here  which 
shall  in  no  wise  taste  of  death,  till  they  see  the  Son  of  man  coming  in  his 
kingdom. 

A.  Verily  (see  5:18,  A.).  The  intermediate  thought 
between  this  verse  and  the  former,  indicating  that  cheer- 
ing and  consolatory  words  will  follow,  appears  to  be  : 
Yea,  even  before  that  last  great  day  of  judgment,  ye  who 
are  faithful  shall  see  an  illustration  of  My  power  and 
truth. — B.  There  be  (^are)  .  .  .  here.  As  the  Lord  and 
His  disciples  appear  to  be  alone  (ver.  20,  21,  24)  during 
this  conversation,  the  sense  must  be  that  while  Judas 
would  no  longer  be  alive  (27  :  5)  at  this  particular  coming 
of  the  Lord  ("some")*,  others  of  their  number  (John, 
Peter,  etc.)  would  live  to  see  that  event. — C  Taste  of 
death.  This  phrase,  under  the  image  of  drinking  from  a 
cup,  alludes  to  the  "  pains  of  death  "  (Acts  2  :  24),  and  is 
equivalent  to:  shall  not  pass  through  the  struggle  which 
attends  the  separation  of  body  and  soul.  The  image 
was  familiarly  employed  in  the  east  (John  8  :  52  ;  Hebr. 
2  :  9). — D.     Till  they  see,  etc.     After  the  Lord  had,  in 


XVI.  28.]  CHAPTER  XVI.  2i 

the  foregoing  verse,  alluded  to  His  second  or  final  visible 
coming,  He  adds  the  comforting  assurance,  that  before 
that  event  occurs,  even  during  the  lifetime  of  the  dis- 
ciples (of  all  except  Judas,  Acts  2  :  i)  He  would,  at  an 
intermediate  coming  powerfully  manifest  to  them  His 
invisible  presence  ;  the  same  promise,  in  a  still  more 
distinct  form,  is  repeated  in  John  14  :  18,  26.  That  this 
coming  or  manifestation  of  the  truth,  the  power,  the 
grace  and  the  invisible  presence  of  the  Lord  occurred  on 
the  day  of  Pentecost,  when  He  came  not  visibly,  but 
in  His  kingdom  (=founded  His  Church)  and  was  revealed 
and  acknowledged  as  its  heavenly  Head  and  King  (Acts 
2  :  33-36),  has  been  more  fully  stated  above  (10  :  23,  B., 
where  see  the  annotation). 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

•  And  after  six  days  Jesus  taketh   with  him  Peter,  and  James,  and  John 
his  brother,  and  bringeth  them  up  into  a  high  mountain  apart. 

A.  After  six  days.  An  interval  of  six  days  occurred 
between  the  one  on  which  the  Lord  uttered  the  words  at 
the  close  of  the  foregoing  chapter,  and  the  one  on  which 
the  event  next  recorded,  occurred.  In  Luke  9  :  28  these 
two  days  are  added,  and  hence  arises  the  expression : 
"  about  an  eight  days  "=a  week. — B.  Peter,  and  James, 
and  John.  Of  the  twelve,  these  three  alone  witnessed 
the  restoration  to  life  of  the  daughter  of  Jairus  (Mark 
5  :  37).  In  Gethsemane,  they  alone  accompanied  Him  to 
the  spot  where  an  angel  strengthened  Him  (Matt.  26  :  37  ; 
Luke  22  :43,  44).  Here,  again,  they  alone  are  permitted 
to  be  "eyewitnesses  of  His  majesty  "  (2  Peter  i  :  16-18). 
It  is  remarkable  that  these  three  also  received  peculiar 
and  significant  surnames:  the  first,  that  of  PeUr  {John 
I  142,  and  see  above,  16:  18;  the  other  two,  that  of 
Boanerges,  Mark  3  :  16,  17).  C.  A  high  mountain, 
called  by  Peter  (2  Peter  i  :  18)  "the  holy  mount"  on 
account  of  the  solemn  occurrence  which  took  place  on  it, 
as  here  described.  An  ancient  tradition  specifies  mount 
Tabor  in  Galilee  as  the  locality,  apparently  without  other 
reasons  than  those  which  passages  like  Judges  4:6;  Ps. 
89:12;  Jer.  46  :  18,  might  suggest.  Tabor,  which  was 
not  an  unoccupied  spot  at  this  period,  had  already  been 
the  site  of  a  city  more  than  two  centuries  before  Christ. 
As    the    Lord    had    previously  visited    the    vicinity    of 


xvir.  2,  3.]  CHAPTER  XVII.  23 

Caesarea  Philippi  (16  :  13),  others  suppose  that  one  of  the 
lofty  eminences  of  the  ridge  of  Hermon  near  that  city,  was 
the  spot, 

^  And  he  was  transfigured  before  them ;  and  his  face  did  shine  as  the 
sun,  and  his  garments  became  white  as  the  hght. 

Transfigured.  Paul  twice  employs  the  same  Greek 
word  (Rom.  12  :  2,  and  2  Cor.  3  :  18,  "transformed  ")  in 
reference  to  the  spiritual  change  which  occurs  in  the 
renewed  man.  Luke  says  (9  :  29) :  "  the  fashion  (^ex- 
ternal appearance,  manner)  of  his  countenance  was 
altered,"  indicating  that  His  ordinary  human  appearance 
had  been  changed. — His  face  did  shine  as  the  sun=-with 
overpowering  brilliance  ;  a  supernatural,  shining  whiteness 
(Mark  9  :  3),  or  effulgence  apppeared  through  and  over 
His  raiment  (=His  garments,  5  :  40,  B.),  from  which  the 
light  flashed  out  like  lightning,  which  is  the  sense  of 
Luke's  word  "  glistering"  (comp.  Matt.  28  :  3,  B.).  The 
light  was  probably  the  same  which  Paul  beheld  when 
Jesus  appeared  to  him  from  heaven  (Acts  26 :  13,  ff.). 
These  appearances  are  called  in  Luke  (9  :  31,  32),  "his 
glory  "  and  "  majesty  "  (=greatness,  glory).  If  we 
compare  Peter's  description  of  the  Lord's  "  honour  and 
glory"  on  that  occasion  (2  Peter  i  :  17)  with  the  Lord's 
own  reference  to  "the  glory"  which  he  had  in  heaven 
before  the  creation  of  the  world  (John  17:  5),  then,  the 
term  transfiguration,  in  the  sense  of  glorificati  on,  seems 
to  indicate  that  the  splendor  of  His  divine  nature  (the 
form  of  God,  Phil.  2  :  6),  which  was  usually  covered  by 
'  the  veil,  that  is  to  say,  his  flesh  "  (Heb.  10  :  20),  on  this 
occasion  shone  forth  in  fulness. 

3  And,  behold,  there  appeared  unto  them  Moses  and  Elijah  talking  with 
him. 

A.  There  appeared.     So,  too,  the  Scriptures  repeatedly, 


24  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xvii.  4. 

mention  the  appearance  of  angels,  who  assumed  a  visible 
form,  and  uttered  audible  words  (e.  g.  Gen.  16  :  7;  Judges 
13:3,  ff.  Luke,  ch.  i  ;  ch.  2), — B.  floses  and  Elijah. 
Both  of  these  men  had  been  removed  from  this  world  in 
a  mysterious  manner  (Deut.  34  :  5,  6  ;  2  Kings  2  :  11); 
both,  too,  had  visions  of  the  glory  of  God  never  granted 
to  other  mortals  (Ex.  23  :  18,  ff.,  and  34  :  6,  ff.  ;  i  Kings 
19  :  II,  ff.).  "  The  law  was  given  by  (==through  the  in- 
strumentality of)  Moses"  (John  i  :  17),  1500  years  before 
Christ.  It  was  restored  to  its  authority  by  Elijah  (900 
years  before  Christ)  at  a  period  of  general  iniquity  and 
idolatry.  It  was  fulfilled  by  Christ  (Matt.  5  :  17).  In 
Malachi  4:4,  5,  where  both  are  mentioned,  Moses 
appears  as  the  representative  of  the  law,  while  Elijah,  the 
representative  of  the  order  of  the  prophets,  already 
appears  as  a  type  of  Christ's  forerunner  (Matt,  ii  :  14). 
Both  faithfully  labored  in  the  work  of  sustaining  the 
old  covenant,  which  opened  the  way  for  the  second  or 
better  covenant.  The  Scriptures,  however,  do  not  fully 
reveal  the  special  purpose  for  which  God  sent  them  on 
this  occasion,  rather  than  the  prophet  Samuel,  in  whom 
the  prophetic  ofifice  first  appeared  in  its  fully-developed 
form,  or  King  David,  etc.  "  Here  God  teaches,  by  the 
reappearance  of  the  men  that  those  whom  we  call  dead 
are  not  dead,  and  that  the  death  of  believers  is  really  an 
ascent  and  removal  to  a  brighter  and  happier  existence 
in  the  light  of  God's  presence." — LUTHER. — C.  Talking 
with  Him=with  Jesus,  concerning  His  "  decease  (-=de- 
parture  from  life,  as  in  2  Peter  1:15),  which  He  was  to 
accomplish  at  Jerusalem  "  (Luke  9:31).  Nothing  further 
is  revealed  respecting  the  subject  or  design  of  this  con- 
versation, except  its  general  reference  to  the  atoning 
death  of  the  Lord. 

*  And  Peter  answered,  and  said  unto  Jesus,  Lord   it  is  good  for  us  to  be 


XVII.  4]  CHAPTER  XVII.  25 

here  :  if  thou  will,  I  will  make  here  three  tabernacles ;  one  for  thee,  and  one 
for  Moses,  and  one  for  Elijah. 

A.  Then  answered^proceeded,  began  to  speak  (see 
II  :25,  C.)  Peter  did  not  speak  until  he  saw  that  Moses 
and  Elijah  were  beginning  to  recede  (Luke  9  :  33.) — B. 
And  said,  etc.;  the  parallel  passages  add  :  "  not  knowing 
what  he  said"  (Luke  9  :  33)  "  for  they  were  sore  afraid  " 
(Mark  9  :  6).  It  appears  from  these  remarks  that,  as  we 
might  expect,  the  heavenly  vision  dazzled  and  over- 
whelmed Peter  ;  the  moment  was  not  one  which  allowed 
a  man  of  his  ardent  temperament  to  indulge  calmly  in 
reflections.  At  the  same  time,  his,  first  alarm  was  tem- 
pered by  the  hallowed  brightness  and  the  quiet  of  the 
scene,  and  subsided  when  he  ascertained  the  character  of 
the  holy  messengers.  Soothed  and  cheered,  even  before 
his  varied  emotions  allowed  him  to  think  calmly,  he 
uttered  his  feelings  at  once ;  his  words  indicate  that 
although  his  mind  was  still  confused,  the  whole  impression 
now  made  on  his  feelings  was  delightful. — C  Lord  .  .  . 
here=0  let  me  remain  in  the  presence  of  Thyself  as  Thou 
now  appearest  in  Thy  glory,  and  in  the  presence  of  the 
glory  of  Moses  and  Elijah. — D.  Let  us  .  .  .  Elias. 
The  Greek  word,  which  is  always  rendered  tabernacle 
in  the  New  Test.,  except  in  Luke  16:9,  and  the  com- 
pound word  in  Acts  18:3,  indicates  any  tent  or  booth  as 
in  Heb.  11:9;  it  specially  designates  in  some  cases 
(Acts  7  :  44 ;  Heb.  8  :  5  ;  9 :  2,  3,  8,  2 1)  the  sacred  tent,  in 
which  the  ark  was  kept  before  the  temple  was  built  ;  see 
Exod.  ch.  25,  etc.  The  phrase:  to  make  or  pitch  a  tent 
implies  remaining,  abiding,  diuelling  {Gen.  12  :  8  ;  26  :  17; 
I  Chron.  15:1).  Peter's  words,  therefore,  uttered  while  he 
was  still  bewildered  and  not  fully  conscious  of  their  precise 
import  ("  not  knowing  what  he  said  "  Luke)  mean  :  Call 
them  back,  O   Lord  ;  we   will   give   them   a  home.     His 


26  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xvii.  5. 

true  feeling  may  be  thus  expressed :  I  desire  evermore  to 
enjoy  the  bHss  which  this  moment  of  Thy  communion 
with  these  holy  men  affords  me.  If  Peter,  while  in  the 
flesh,  could,  by  a  special  gift  such  as  seems  to  be  here 
exercised,  at  once  identify  Moses  and  Elias,  whose 
features  he  had  never  previously  seen,  much  more  will 
"  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect  "  (Heb.  12  :  23),  with 
"  bodies  fashioned  like  unto  the  glorious  body  "  of  Christ 
(Phil.  3:21),  in  heaven  recognize  there  both  beloved 
friends  who  died  in  the  Lord,  and  also  all  who  before 
their  day,  like  Enoch,  Noah,  (Gen.  5  :  22  ;  6:9),  walked 
with  God  on  earth.    . 

*  While  he  was  yet  speaking,  behold  a  bright  cloud  overshadowed  them : 
and  behold,  a  voice  out  of  the  cloud,  saying,  This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in 
whom  I  am  well  pleased;  hear  ye  him. 

A.     While  .  .  .  speaking^and  Moses  and  Elijah  were 
still  in  view,  but  receding.^ — B.     A  bright  cloud  =  not  an 

ordinary  dark  cloud,  but  a  brightness  or  splendor  resem- 
bling a  mass  of  light.  It  was,  possibly,  that  divine  light 
which  still  shone  on  the  face  of  Moses  when  he  came 
down  from  the  mount  (Ex.  34  :  29-35),  conveying  to  us  a 
faint  idea  of  that  unapproachable  light  in  which  God 
dwells  (i  Tim.  6  :  16). — C.  Overshadowed  them=Moses 
and  Elijah  "  entered  into  the  cloud  "  (Luke  9  :  34),  but 
not  the  three  disciples,  nor  Jesus,  to  whom  the  voice 
came  out  from  the  cloud  (2  Pet.  i  :  17).  The  brightness 
of  the  cloud,  called  the  "  the  excellent  glory  "  (2  Pet. 
I  :  17),  concealed  them  from  the  view  of  the  three  dis- 
ciples, in  a  blaze  of  light. — D.  A  voice,  etc.  Once  before, 
the  Father  had  audibly  pronounced  these  words  (see 
above,  3:17);  His  voice  was  afterwards  heard  a  third 
time  (John  12  :  28).  On  this  occasion  the  words  hear  ye 
Him  are  added,  in  reference  to  the  prophecy  which  Moses 
uttered  (Deut.  18  :  15  ;  Acts  3  :  22).     Such  language,  never 


XVII.  6-8.]  CHAPTER  XVII.  27 

applied  even  to  an  angel  (Hebr.  i  :  5),  much  less  to  Moses 
and  Elias,  taught  the  disciples  the  immeasurable  distance 
between  all  creatures  and  Him  who  is  the  "  mediator  of 
a  better  covenant  "  (Hebr.  8  :  6),  and  "  by  whom  all 
things  were  made"  (John  i  :  3).  That  these  sublime 
revelations  were  given  to  Peter  and.  the  other  two  dis- 
ciples for  the  confirmation  of  their  faith,  appears  from 
2  Pet.  I  :  16-18.  But  all  the  divine  objects  of  this 
wonderful  occcurrence  are  not  made  known.  While 
some  interpreters  are  disposed  to  regard  it  as  intended 
primarily  for  Moses  and  Elias,  who  had,  like  the  angels 
(i  Pet.  I  :  12),  desired  to  "look  into"  the  mysteries  of 
redeeming  love,  others  believe  that  it  was  somewhat 
similar  to  the  angel's  visit  described  in  Luke  22  :  43,  in 
so  far  that  this  communication  of  "honor  and  glory  "  to 
the  Lord  Jesus  (2  Pet.  1:17)  was  intended  to  "  strengthen  " 
Him  in  the  sufferings  which  were  now  rapidly  approach- 
ing. But  such  conjectures,  which  often  conflict  with 
each  other,  are  of  little  practical  value  (see  ver.  3,  C). 

'  And  when  the  disciples  heard  it,  they  fell  on  their  face,  and  were  sore 
afraid. 

The  disciples  were  overpowered  by  the  divine  voice; 
they  seem,  like  John  in  Rev.  i  :  17,  to  have  fallen  into  a 
swoon  (comp.  Dan.  10  :  8-10,  and  Acts  9  :  4). — Sore  afraid 
==in  the  utmost  fear.  The  old  English  word  sore  (here^ 
very  imieh,  18  :  31,  or,  exceedingly,  as  in  19  :  25),  origin- 
ally indicating  pain  or  sorrow,  came  in  time  to  signify, 
like  the  German  schr,  intensity,  or  a  high  degree. 

'  And  Jesus  came  and  touched  them  and  said,  Arise,  and  be  not  afraid. 
He  restored  them  to  consciousness,  strengthened  them 
anew  by  His  life-giving  touch  and  words  of  tender  love. 

*  And  lifting  up  their  eyes,  they  saw  no  one,  save  Jesus  only. 

The  celestial  light  and  the  visitors  had  vanished,  and 
Jesus  appeared  in  His  usual  humble  form. 


28  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xvii.  9,  lo. 

9  And  as  they  were  coming  down  from  the  mountain,  Jesus  commanded 
them,  saying,  Tell  the  vision  to  no  man,  until  the  Son  of  man  be  risen  from 
the  dead. 

A.  Vision=persons  and  things  seen  by  them  (Mark 
9  :  9),  equivalent  to  tJie  sight,  as  the  same  word  is 
rendered  in  Acts  7:31.  In  a  different  sense  the  same 
word  sometimes  indicates  not  reaHties  beheld  with  the 
bodily  eyes  as  in  this  instance,  but  objects  presented  to 
the  mind  alone  or  the  spiritual  eye,  as  in  Acts  9  :  12; 
1 1  :  5-^ — Risen  ;  the  resurrection  of  the  Lord  had  already 
been  revealed  (16  :  21). — C.  To  no  man,  etc.  The  reasons 
for  which  this  prohibition  is  pronounced,  may  have  to 
some  extent  coincided  with  those  stated  above  (16  :  20,  B.). 
The  words  in  Luke  9  :  36  indicate  that  these  three  dis- 
ciples withheld  the  knowledge  of  these  facts  temporarily 
even  from  the  other  nine.  The  Lord's  injunction  also 
tested  the  self-control  and  obedient  spirit  of  the  former. 

'°  And  his  disciples  asked  him,  saying.  Why  then  say  the  scribes  that 
Elijah  must  first  come  ? 

The  three  disciples,  alluding  to  the  prohibition  in  ver. 
9,  say  :  If  Elijah  is  to  come  first  (=before  thee),  only  in 
this  private  manner,  as  he  has  now  appeared  on  the 
mount,  and  if  even  this  coming  is  to  be  temporarily  con- 
cealed, why  then  does  Malachi  (ch.  3  :  i  ;  4  :  5)  speak  of 
his  coming  first  (=before  the  Messiah)  in  such  a  manner 
that  the  scribes  explain  it  of  a  public  event,  known  to 
all?  (see  11  :  14,  A. ;  16  :  14,  B.).  Will  he  perhaps  come 
once  more  ?  The  popular  error  of  the  age  of  supposing 
that  Elijah  the  Tishbite  (i  Kings  17  :  i)  would  himself 
appear  as  the  forerunner  of  the  Messiah,  was  not  of  recent 
origin.  The  Greek  translation  of  the  O.  T.  called  the 
Septuagint  (which  was  in  existence  two  centuries  before 
the  birth  of  Christ)  had  actually  substituted  the  name 
Tishbite  for  the  word  prophet  after  the  name  Elijah  in 


XVII.  ir,  12.]  CHAPTER  XVII.  29 

Malachi  4  :  5.  This  version,  which  was  held  in  high 
esteem  by  the  Jews,  seemed  to  confirm  the  teaching  of 
the  scribes. 

"  And  he  answered  and  said,  Elijah  indeed  cometh,  and  shall  restore  all 
things. 

A.  Elijah  indeed  cometh=the  words  of  the  prophet 
contain  a  declaration  which  is  strictly  true  ;  the  public 
appearance  of  the  Elijah  mentioned  by  him,  that  is,  of 
John  "  in  the  spirit  and  power  of  Elijah  "  (Luke  i  :  17), 
does  precede  my  own  (11  :  14,  B.). — B.  Shall  restore  all 
things.  This  future  tense  here  simply  implies  that  when 
the  prophet  spoke,  the  event  still  belonged  to  futurity,  as 
above,  in  11:  14,  "  for  to  come."  These  words  express 
the  substance  of  Mai.  4  :  6,  which  passage  is  again  ex- 
plained by  the  angel  (Luke  i  :  17)  as  descriptive  of  the 
ofifice  of  one  who,  by  restoring  the  bonds  of  affection  and 
love  which  had  been  broken  by  sin,  "  makes  ready  a 
people  prepared  for  the  Lord."  It  is  possible  that  the 
prophetic  description  of  the  restoration  of  concord 
between  fathers  and  children  ultimately  refers  to  the  work 
of  the  Saviour,  by  whom  we  receive  "  the  adoption  of 
sons  "  (Gal.  4  :  5).  John's  preaching  of  repentance  and 
the  coming  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  (Matt.  3  :  2),  to- 
gether with  the  witness  which  he  bore  of  the  Messiah 
(John  I  :  15-36),  constituted  the  preparation  of  the  great 
work  of  restoring  {==rcplacing  in  their  former  state,  as  the 
word  is  also  used  in  12  :  13),  all  things=leading  fallen 
man  back  to  God. 

'^  But  I  say  unto  you,  That  Elijah  is  come  already,  and  they  knew  him 
not,  but  did  unto  him  whatsoever  they  listed.  Even  so  shall  the  Son  of 
man  also  suffer  of  them. 

A.  Elijah  is  come  already  =  John  the  Baptist,  called 
Elijah,  because  he  came  in  "  the  spirit  and  power  of 
Elijah  "  (Luke  I  :  17;  .see  the  ann.  to  1 1  :  14,  B.).     This 


30  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW.        [xvii.  13,  14. 

authoritative  declaration  of  the  Lord  that  the  fulfilment 
of  the  prophetic  words  has  already  occurred,  conclusively 
shows  that  the  opinion  of  a  few  interpreters  who  still 
expect  a  coming  of  Elijah  is  as  unfounded,  as  the  opinion 
would  be  that,  according  to  Jer.  30  :  9,  King  David  him- 
self will  again  appear  on  earth,  while  David's  Son  (Matt. 
I  :  i)  is  there  evidently  meant. — B.  They  knew  .  .  . 
listed.  Like  the  chief  priests  and  scribes,  who  did  not 
recognize  and  believe  in  John's  divine  mission  (21  :  32), 
Herod  and  Herodias  imprisoned  and  then  beheaded  him 
(see  ann.  to  11  :  13,  and  14  :  10). — Listed  =  tt'^///^,  desired, 
pleased,  etc.  God  suffered  all  these,  in  His  overruling 
Providence  "  to  walk  in  their  own  ways  "  (Acts  14  :  16), 
but  "  for  all  these  things  will  bring  them  into  judgment " 
(Eccl.  II  :  9). — C.  Likewise,  etc.  =  similar  injustice,  and 
a  similar  surrender  of  myself  to  "  the  will  "  of  my  enemies 
(Luke  23  :  25),  will  characterize  my  lot  (see  16  :  21,  and 
ver.  22,  23,  below). 

"  Then  understood  the  disciples  that  he  spake  unto  them  of  John  the 
Baptist. 

Understood  — that  Malachi  (3  :  i  ;  4  :  6)  referred  to  John 
the  Baptist,  as  indeed  the  Lord  had,  on  a  foregoing  oc- 
casion, explained  (11  :  10). 

'*  And  when  they  were  come  to  the  multitude,  there  came  to  him  a  man, 
kneeling  to  him,  and  saying. 

A.  And  when  =  on  the  day  after  the  transfiguration 
(Luke  9  :  37),  which  had  probably  occurred  during  the 
preceding  night. — B.  To  the  multitude=which,  including 
certain  cavilling  scribes,  surrounded  the  other  disciples, 
whom  he  was  seeking  (Mark  9  :  14,  16). — C.  Kneeling= 
in  the  deepest  distress,  occasioned  by  the  sufferings  of 
his  "  only  child  "  (Luke  9  :  38),  appealing  to  Jesus,  his 
last  hope. 


XVII.  15—17]  CHAPTER  XVII.  31 

■^  Lord,  have  mercy  on  my  son  ;  for  he  is  epileptic,  and  suffereth  griev- 
ously :  for  ofttimes  he  falleth  into  the  fire,  and  ofttimes  into  the  water. 

A.  Lord  (see  8  :  2,  C). — B.  Epileptic,  lit.  very  nearly, 
moon-struck.  As  the  father  added  that  the  child  had  a 
"  dumb  spirit  "  (Mark  9  :  17),  the  term  lunatic  does  not 
mean,  on  the  one  hand,  simply  that  the  child  was  insane, 
nor,  on  the  other,  that  the  case  was  one  of  ordinary 
epilepsy. — C.  For,  etc.  The  father  proceeds  to  narrate 
that  the  unclean  spirit  suddenly  produced  convulsions  in 
the  child,  and  hurled  him  sometimes  on  the  burning  coals 
in  the  house,  sometimes  into  the  cistern,  and  that  the 
sufferer,  foaming  and  gnashing  with  his  teeth  (Mark 
9  :  18),  and  bruised  by  his  violent  falls,  was  scarcely 
relieved  from  one  fit,  before  another  was  produced  (Luke 
9  :  39)- 

'*  And  I  brought  him  to  thy  disciples,  and  they  could  not  cure  him. 

Could  t\o\.:=were  not  able,  as  the  Greek  word  is  often 
translated  (e.  g.  3  :  9  ;  9  :  28).  The  disciples  afterwards 
(ver.  19),  themselves  desire  to  know  the  cause  that  pre- 
vented them  from  exerting  successfully  the  power  to  heal, 
which  they  had  previously  recieved  (10  :  i). 

'^  And  Jesus  answered  and  said,  O  faithless  and  perverse  generation,  how 
long  shall  I  be  with  you .''  how  long  shall  I  bear  with  you .''  bring  him  hither 
to  me. 

A.  Faithless  .  .  .  generation.  As  English  usage  has 
fixed  on  the  word  faith  as  the  noun  corresponding  to  the 
verb  to  believe,  instead  of  the  conjugate  or  allied  word 
belief,  various  inconveniences  have  arisen.  Thus  when  in 
the  English  N.  T.  Abraham  is  called  faithful  (Gal.  3  :  9), 
the  word  does  not  indicate  simply  that  he  was  reliable  or 
exhibited  fidelity,  but  means  believing  (^exercising  a 
living  faith),  as  the  same  word  is  rendered  in  John 
20  :  27  ;  I  Tim.  6:2.  So  here,  as  in  John  20  :  27,  the 
original  word  translated  faithless,  does  not  mean  false. 


32  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.         [xvii.  17,  18. 

perfidious,  but  unbelieving,  as  it  is  translated  in  i  Cor. 
7  :  14  ;  Tit.  1:15.  The  word  perverse  (in  which  the 
Lord  alludes  to  the  song  of  Moses,  (Deut.  32  :  5,  20,  as 
also  Paul  does,  Phil.  2  :  15),  originally  designates,  like 
both  the  Hebrew  and  the  Greek  corresponding  words, 
that  which  is  twisted,  turned  aside  from  the  right  way, 
as  the  English  word  wrong  comes  from  wring=:to  twist, 
wrest ;  it  then  figuratively  describes  men  who  are  perverse 
=  misguided  by  an  evil  influence,  which  is  the  meaning 
here. — Generation,  here=race,  kind,  class  of  men  (for  the 
word  see  24  :  34). — B.  How  long  .  .  .  bear  with.  The 
song  of  Moses  (Deut.,  ch.  32),  mentioned  above,  strikingly 
illustrates  these  words.  Religious  sloth  prevents  a  ready 
understanding  of  divine  truth  ;  here,  as  often  elsewhere, 
such  a  slow  progress  in  the  acquisition  of  divine  knowl- 
edge, is  rebuked  (John  14:9;  Hebr.  5  :  12).  But  to 
whom  are  these  words  of  rebuke  addressed  ?  First,  to 
the  father,  whose  faith,  according  to  the  parallel  passage 
(Mark  9  :  23,  24,  "  if  thou  canst,  etc."),  like  that  of  the  ' 
nobleman  addressed  in  John  4  :  48,  was  weak,  and  then 
to  the  disciples,  whose  "  unbelief  "  the  Lord  mentions 
Himself  in  ver.  20.  The  sense  is  :  After  so  many  evi- 
dences of  the  divine  character  of  My  mission,  is  your 
faith  still  so  feeble,  that  ye  cannot  prevail  in  a  contest 
with  unclean  spirit  ? — C.  Bring,  etc.  The  words  are 
addressed  to  the  father  (Luke  9  :  41),  who,  in  his  eager- 
ness, had  advanced  to  meet  the  Lord. 

"  And  Jesus  rebuked  him ;  and  the  devil  went  out  from  him  :  and  the 
boy  was  cured  from  that  hour. 

A.  Mark  relates  (9 :  20-27),  that  at  this  moment  a 
frightful  scene  Avas  presented  by  a  new  attack  of  the 
spirit ;  the  paroxysm  was  so  violent  that  ultimately  the 
child  was  completely  exhausted,  and  seemed  to  the  spec- 
tators to  be  dead.     The  Saviour's  delay  in  affording  relief 


XVII.  19,  20.]  CHAPTER  XVII.  33 

is,  according  to  the  circumstantial  narrative  of  Mark,  to 
be  traced  to  the  weak  faith  of  the  father. — B.  Rebuked 
the  devil,  lit.  Jiim,  the  spirit  (Mark  9  :  25  ;  Luke  9  :42);  the 
same  word  :  rebuked,  occurs  in  8  :  26.  The  Lord's  words 
are  preserved  in  Mark  8:  25. — C.  The  child,  etc,  Jesus 
took  the  child  by  the  hand  (Mark),  and  delivered  him  to 
his  father  (Luke)  in  health  and  vigor,  forever  free  from  a 
similar  affliction  (Mark  9  :  25). 

''  Then  came  the  disciples  to  Jesus  apart,  and  said,  why  could  not  we 
cast  it  out .'' 

The  disciples,  grieved  and  humbled  in  consequence 
both  of  their  failure  to  expel  the  evil  spirit,  and  of  the 
rebuke  which  the  Lord  had  administered,  approach  the 
latter  in  the  house,  in  the  absence  of  the  spectators 
(Mark  9 :  28) ;  they  confess  their  unworthiness,  and 
humbly  solicit  instruction  respecting  their  future  conduct. 

^°  And  he  saith  unto  them,  Because  of  your  little  faith  :  for  verily  I  say 
unto  you,  If  ye  have  faith  as  a  grain  of  mustard  seed,  ye  shall  say  unto  this 
mountain,  Remove  hence  to  yonder  place;  and  it  shall  remove  ;  and  noth- 
ing shall  be  impossible  unto  you. 

A.  Because  of  your  little  faith.  Moses,  who  was  on 
other  occasions  so  "  faithful  "  (Heb.  3  :  5),  greatly  dis- 
pleased God  at  Meribah  by  one  act  of  unbelief  and 
rebellion,  when,  for  a  moment,  he  doubted  that  God 
would  give  him  power  to  perform  a  promised  miracle, 
(Numb.  20:7-12;  27:14;  Ps.  106:32,  33).  Now  the 
disciples  who  had  in  many  cases  expelled  evil  spirits,  like 
the  "other  seventy"  (Luke  10:  i,  17),  were  at  that  time 
already  embarrassed  and  discouraged,  in  the  absence  of 
their  Master,  by  the  scoffs  and  insults  of  the  scribes 
(Mark  9:  16).  When,  in  this  dejected  frame  of  mind, 
against  which  they  should  have  struggled,  they  behold 
the  epileptic,  it  is  possible  that  the  unusually  frightful 
convulsions  of  the  child,  which  no  spectator  could  behold 
3 


34  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xvii.  20. 

unmoved,  and  which  indicated  the  presence  of  a  spirit 
"more  wicked"  (12:45)  than  others,  so  powerfully 
affected  them  as  men,  that  the  flesh  prevailed  at  last  over 
the  spirit;  at  the  moment  they  feared  that  they  could 
not  control  such  awful  powers  of  darkness.  Like  Moses 
they  failed  to  rely  implicitly  on  divine  truth  and  power. 
As  Peter  walked  safely  on  the  water  till,  for  a  moment 
he  looked  away  from  Jesus  and  glanced  at  the  mighty 
waves,  then  yielded  to  a  carnal  fear  and  began  to  sink 
(14:  30),  so  here  the  disciples  looked  more  at  Satan's  rage 
than  at  Christ's  power,  and  now  their  faith  failed.  They 
did  not  "  stir  up  the  gift  of  God  which  was  in  them  " 
(2  Tim.  I  :  6),  namely,  of  "the  working  of  miracles"  (i 
Cor.  12:10).  So  too,  it  is  recorded  (26 :  56),  that,  with 
all  their  faith  and  their  love  to  their  Master,  Avhen  the 
multitude  came  to  take  Him  with  swords,  they  "  all  for- 
sook Him  and  fled."  They  doubted  whether  they  were 
invested  with  sufficient  power  to  expel  the  spirit,  and 
their  doubt  marred  their  faith.  Why  cannot  we  all  now, 
as  individuals,  became  personnally  familiar  with  the 
delightful  religious  experience  of  Paul  as  described  in 
Gal.  2  :  19,  20  ;  Phil.  4:13,  and  entertain  his  joyful  and 
unclouded  hopes  (2  Tim.  4:8)?  Why  cannot  the  Church 
of  Christ,  to  which  the  work  of  missions  is  assigned, 
"  subdue  kingdoms,  etc.,"  as  other  believers  have  done 
(Heb.  11:33,  ff.)  ?  Alas  !  the  Lord's  answer  is  :  "  Because 
of  your  little  faith." — B.  Faith  .  ,  .  mustard  seed  ; 
for  mustard  seed  (see  13  :  31,  C).  The  sense  is  :  A  degree 
of  faith  in  the  divine  appointment  of  yourselves  as 
apostles  which  is  apparently  low  as  compared  with  the 
effects  to  be  wrought  through  you.  Hence  the  mustard 
seed  and  mountain  are  contrasted  (comp.  Mark  16:  17; 
John  14:12).  But  the  Lord  also  means  such  a  faith 
which,  like    the    mustard    seed,    expands    continually  in 


XVH.     2  23.]  CHAPTER  XVTL  35 

beauty  and  power, — C.  This  mountain  ;  the  Lord  pointed 
to  the  mountain  from  which  He  had  recently  come  down 
(ver.  9). — D.  Nothing  .  .  .  you=which,  with  true  wisdom 
and  in  a  spirit  of  faith,  ye  desire  to  do  for  the  glory  of 
God.  True  faith  always  has  a  revealed  object ;  the 
believer  cannot  err,  while  his  faith  clings  to  that  object. 
The  Lord  thrice  addressed  language  like  that  occurring 
in  this  verse  to  His  apostles  (21:21;  Luke  17:6).  In  all 
these  cases  the  sense  appears  to  be  :  Ye  now  have  faith 
in  Me  ;  nevertheless,  it  is  not  sufficient  for  your  future 
course  as  founders  of  the  Church  to  believe  that  I  am  the 
Son  of  God.  You  must  entertain  an  unclouded  and 
thorough  conviction  and  faith  ("and  doubt  not"  21  :  21) 
that  through  your  personal  labors  and  word,  confirmed 
with  signs  following  (Mark  16:  20),  the  kingdom  of  heaven, 
so  long  ago  promised  by  the  prophets,  will  be  established, 
and  that  God  will  never  fail  to  fit  you  for  your  work. 
When  you  have  such  a  faith,  although  it  may  still  corre- 
spond in  the  degree  of  its  power  to  the  feeble  nature  of 
man  ("  as  a  grain  of  mustard  seed,")  you  will,  in  tJiat 
faith,  unhesitatingly  attempt  any  miracle  ("  greater  works 
than  these"  which  I  do,  John  14:12),  and  you  will 
always  find  such  works  possible,  being  wrought  by  divine 
power  in  answer  to  your  believing  prayers  (comp.  James 
5  :  14-18).  The  mention  of  the  removal  of  the  mountain 
indicates  that  an  enlightened  faith  finds  no  impossibilities 
in  the  path  of  duty  which  God  has  prescribed. 

[The  Revised  Version,  in  accordance  with  the  most  reliable  Greek  text, 
omits  verse  21.] 

^-,  ^^  And  while  they  abode  in  Galilee,  Jesus  said  unto  them,  The  Son  of 
man  shall  be  delivered  up  into  the  hands  of  men : — And  they  shall  kill  him, 
and  the  third  day  he  shall  be  raised  up.     And  they  were  exceeding  sorry. 

During  this  temporary  abode   of  the  Lord  in  Galilee 
(Mark  9  :  30)  previously  to  His  last  journey  to  Jerusalem, 


36  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xvii.  24. 

when  His  "time  came"  (John  7  :  2-10),  He  again  (16  : 
21)  refers  to  the  subject  of  His  death  and  resurrection 
The  disciples,  who  still  did  not  understand  "  that  saying  " 
(Mark  9  :  32),  retained  only  a  general  and  painful  impres- 
sion that  great  distress  awaited  Him  and  them,  and  "  were 
exceeding  sorry."  Shall  be  delivered  up^is  to  be  be- 
trayed or  delivered  over.  The  word  so  translated,  here 
alludes  to  Judas  (10  :  4),  occurs  also  in  20  :  18,  19  ;  in  27 : 
2  it  is  applied  to  the  act  of  transferring  the  Lord  to  the 
heathen  governor  (see  also  26  :  15,  B.).  The  Greek  word 
here  represented  by  shall,  often  describes  events  as  being 
simply  near  at  hand,  hence  rendered  will  {2  \  13);  to 
come  (Luke  3:7);  at  the  point  of  (John  4  :  47)  ;  abotit  to 
(Acts  5  :  35);  coming  on  (Acts  27  :  33), — into  the  hands 
of  men  =  subjected  to  any  treatment  which  their  cruelty 
may  suggest,  as,  for  instance,  26  :  57,  ff.,  6"]  \  27  :  26-30; 
Luke  23  :  6-1 1,  raised  up  (16  :  21). 

^^  And  when  they  were  come  to  Capernaum,  they  that  received  the  half- 
shekel  came  to  Peter,  and  said.  Doth  not  your  master  pay  the  half-shekel  ? 

A.  Capernaum  (see  4:13,  B.).  As  the  Lord  "  dwelt  " 
here  =  was  a  resident  of  this  place,  rather  than  of  any 
other  (4  :  13,  B.),  the  collectors  of  this  particular  district 
naturally  make  the  inquiry  contained  in  this  verse. — B. 
The  half=shekel=:the  "atonement  money"  of  Ex.  30: 
!i-i6.  The  Greek  word  here  rendered  half-shekel  is 
didrachma  (plural);  this  coin,  for  which  no  corresponding 
English  name  exists,  was  a  double  dracJima.  The  Attic 
(Greek)  silver  coin  which  bore  the  latter  name  (translated 
"  piece  of  silver  "  in  Luke  15:8)  was  nearly  equal  to  1 5  1-2 
cents,  but  was  current  among  the  Romans  as  equal  to 
their  denariiis,  which  was  worth  about  14  cents,  and  is 
always  called /f;//y/  (plural, /f;/a-),  in  the  English  N.  T. 
(Matt.  18  :  28  ;  20  :  2,  and  see  ann.  to  22  :  19,  B.).  The 
Jewish  piece  of  money  called  a  shekel  and  often  mentioned 


XVII.  24-]  CHAPTER  XVII.  37 

in  the  O.  T.  (c.  g.  Lev.  27  :  25),  was  worth  very  nearly 
56  cents,  so  that  two  drachmas  (which  are  one  didrach- 
mon)  were  nearly  equivalent  to  half  a  shekel,  or  about 
28  cents.  Four  of  these  Greek  drachmas  were  equal  to 
another  Greek  or  Attic  silver  coin  called  a  stater,  men- 
tioned below,  ver.  27,  D.  Hence  the  latter  was  also  equal 
to  one  Jewish  shekel.  Indeed,  the  silver  stater  was  on 
this  account  often  called  a  tetradrachmon=:a  piece  of  four 
drachmas.  (The  "  pieces  of  silver  "  mentioned  in  Matt. 
26  :  15  ;  Acts  19  :  19,  are  called  argiirion  in  the  original, 
which  means  silver,  as  Acts  3  :  6,  or  money  in  general,  as 
in  Matt.  25  :  18,  and  also  the  common  Jewish  shekel  in 
particular  Matt.  26  :  15  and  27  :  9  ;  Acts  19  :  19  comp. 
with  Zech.  ii  :  12  and  Numb.  7  :  13,  14,  where  the  word 
shekel  is  implied.  The  tribute-money  mentioned  in  Matt. 
22  :  i9:=money  of  the  tribute,  bears  in  the  original  the 
general  name  of  notnisma,  which  is  equivalent  to  current 
money  or  coin  ;  the  penny  also  mentioned  there  is  the 
denarius.)  Now,  according  to  Exod.  30  :  11-16  ;  2  Kings 
12  :  4;  2  Chron.  24  :  6,  every  Jewish  male  adult  was  re- 
quired at  the  numbering  of  the  people  to  contribute  to 
the  ordinary  expenses  of  the  public  worship  (animals  for 
the  sacrifices,  incense,  etc.)  the  sum  of  half  a  shekel^ 
two  drachmas,  or  about  28  cents,  which  subsequently  ac- 
quired the  character  of  an  annual  payment  (comp.  21  : 
12,  D.).  A  Greek  stater  was,  accordingly,  sufficient  to 
pay  for  two  persons  (see  ver.  27  below).  It  is  doubtless 
this  personal  tax  (called  in  the  original  a  double  drachma 
=  28  cents=half-shekel)  which  the  collectors  mention  in 
the  present  verse,  and  not  any  civil  impost  claimed  by  the 
government.  Possibly,  foreign  Jews  paid  the  amount  at 
their  annual  visits  to  the  temple  (21  :  12,  D.).  The  value 
of  ancient  coins  is  variously  estimated  by  modern  writers  ; 
the  computations  given  above  accordingly  present  merely 


jS  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xvii.  25. 

an  approximation  to  the  truth.  Modern  investigations 
have  led  to  the  opinion  that  silver  was  ten  times  as  valuable 
in  the  days  of  our  Lord  as  it  is  at  present  (comp.  20  :  2, 
B.).  For  talent  (see  18  :  24,  B.),  and  for  fartJiing  (see 
ann.  to  5  :  25,  26;  10  :  9,  29). — C.  Doth  not,  etc.  As 
this  payment  was  for  a  religious  purpose,  and  could  not 
be  enforced  by  the  civil  law,  it  was  easily,  and  probably, 
often  evaded  (2  Chron.  24  :  6)  by  those  whom  religious 
principles  did  not  control.  To  such  principles  the  col- 
lectors doubtless  refer  ;  their  language  differs  widely  from 
that  of  Roman  publicans  who  were  authorized  by  law  to 
collect  the  taxes  from  all  without  regard  to  their  incli- 
nations.    Your  master,  lit.  teacher  (see  8:19,  B.). 

^5  He  saith,  Yea.  And  when  he  came  into  the  house,  Jesus  spake  first  to 
him,  saying,  What  thinkest  thou,  Simon  ?  the  kings  of  the  earth,  from  whom 
do  they  receive  toll  or  tribute  ?  from  their  sons,  or  from  strangers  } 

A.  He  saith,  Yea.  The  other  disciples  were  probably 
not  present  (see  18  :  i.  A.).  Peter  somewhat  rashly  ad- 
mits that  an  obligation  to  observe  all  the  points  of  the 
laws  of  Moses  necessarily  lies  on  Jesus,  forgetting  that 
He  who  is  "Lord  of  the  sabbath"  (Mark  2  :  28),  and 
"greater  than  the  temple"  (Matt.  12  :  6),  cannot  really 
be  bound  by  laws  designed  for  fallen  men  alone.^B. 
Jesus  spake  first.  Before  Peter,  on  entering  the  house, 
could  state  the  case,  the  Lord,  who  knew  all  things  (John 
16:  30;  21  :  17),  Himself  brings  it  forward. — C.  What 
thinkest,  etc — toll  =  taxes  paid  on  goods  (Rom.  13  :  7), — 
tribute=capitation  or  poll-tax  paid  by  each  person  whose 
name  and  real  estate  were  inscribed  in  the  census  (Matt. 
22  :  17), — strangers= people  other  than  royal  children, 
namely,  subjects,  not  blood-relations  of  the  king.  The 
Greek  word  is  not  the  one  so  translated  in  27  :  7  ;  Acts 
17  :  21,  but  the  one  rendered  another  man,  other  men, 
others,  in  Luke   16  :   12;   Rom.  14  :  4;  2  Cor.    10  :    15  ; 


XVII.  26,  27-]  CHAPTER  XVII.  39 

Hebr.  9  :  25.  The  sense  of  the  question  is:  Do  the  sons 
of  a  king  in  earthly  monarchies  contribute  to  the  sup- 
port of  the  state  and  the  royal  honor,  or  does  this  duty 
devolve  exclusively  on  the  subjects  who  are  of  inferior 
rank  ? 

^*  And  when  he  said,  From  strangers,  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Therefore  the 
sons  are  free. 

Therefore  .  .  .  free=Thou  hast  rightly  answered  ;  but 
that  answer  shows  that  thy  reply  to  the  collectors  be- 
trayed a  forgetfulness  of  my  true  nature  and  character. 
As  the  Son  of  God,  I  can,  according  to  the  same  princi- 
ple, claim  exemption  from  the  duty  of  supporting  the 
temple  erected  to  the  honor  of  my  Father,  "  the  great 
King  "  (Matt.  5  :  35). — Sons. — The  general  principle  which 
is  applicable  to  all  the  sons  of  earthly  king,  is  applied  in 
this  case  to  the  only-bcgottcn  Son  of  God.  On  the  other 
hand,  Christ  "  was  found  in  fashion  as  a  man  "  (Phil.  2  :  8), 
and  "was  made  under  the  law  "=subject  to  it  as  a  man, 
solely  for  the  purpose  of  "  redeeming  "  men  (Gal.  4  :  4,  5). 

^'  But  lest  we  cause  them  to  stumble,  go  thou  to  the  sea,  and  cast  a  hook, 
and  take  up  the  fish  that  first  cometh  up;  and  when  thou  hast  opened  his 
mouth,  thou  shalt  find  a  shekel :  that  take,  and  give  unto  them  for  me  and 
thee. 

A.  Lest  .  .  .  stumble=lest  we  .should  furnish  an  occa- 
sion to  fall,  by  apparently  giving  a  bad  example  (an  ex- 
ample of  avarice,  contempt  of  religion,  etc.),  if  we  refuse 
to  sustain  the  service  of  the  temple,  since  they  do  not 
know,  or  believe  in,  my  true  character.  The  whole  is 
illustrated  by  Rom.  14  :  21. — B.  Go  thou  .  .  .  mouth. 
Possibly  the  disciple  who  carried  the  purse  was  absent 
(John  12  :  6;  13  :  29)  ;  no  money  was  at  hand,  and  yet  it 
was  needed.  The  resources  of  the  divine  Redeemer  never 
fail.  While  He  works  a  miracle  which  demonstrated  His 
possession  of  divine  knowledge  and  power,  as  the  Son  of 


40  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xvii.  27. 

God,  He  still  connects  with  it  a  command  to  the  fisher- 
man (4  :  18)  that  He  should  proceed  to  the  sea  of  Galilee 
which  was  near,  and  perform  all  that  He  is  able  to  accom- 
plish.— C.  A  shekel.  The  original  gives  the  name  of  the 
silver  coin,  stater,  which,  as  explained  above  (ver.  24,  B). 
was  very  nearly  equal  in  value  to  one  shekel,  and  thus 
paid  for  two  persons.  There  was  an  Attic  gold  coin,  also 
called  a  stater,  which  varied  at  different  periods  in  weight 
and  value,  and  is  not  here  meant. — E.  That  take.  Pos- 
sibly these  words  were  spoken  after  the  brief  interval 
during  which  Peter  went  for  the  fish  and  returned  with 
the  coin. — F.  For  me  and  thee.  The  Lord  desired  that 
no  reproach  should  attach  to  the  disciple  as  if  the  latter 
disregarded  the  claims  of  religion. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

'  In  that  hour  came  the  disciples  unto  Jesus,  saying,  Who  then  is  greatest 
in  the  Icingdom  of  heaven  ? 

A.  In  that  hour=when  Peter,  after  paying  the  piece 
of  money,  17  :  27,  had  returned  to  the  house,  and,  with 
the  other  disciples,  who  had  been  absent,  stood  before 
the  Lord  (Mark 9  :  33,  35). — B.  Came  .  .  .  saying.  They 
had  previously  (and  doubtless  with  undue  warmth,  Mark 
9  •  33>  50  5  Luke  9  :  16),  debated  the  question  which  now 
follows. — C.  Who  .  .  .  heaven?  The  Lord  Himself 
assigns  a  very  high  position  to  His  disciples  (19  :  28)  as 
the  original  heralds  of  the  cross,  but  He  did  not  invest 
them  with  temporal  or  political  power.  At  this  period, 
however,  they  still  erroneously  supposed  that  He  would 
establish  an  earthly  kingdom,  and  that  those  to  whom  He 
might  assign  offices  in  it,  would  respectively  differ  in  rank, 
power  and  dignity;  (see  an  illustration  in  20  :  21).  At  a 
latter  period  they  understood  its  true  nature  as  described 
in  Rom.  14  :  17. 

^  And  he  called  to  him  a  little  child,  and  set  him  in  the  midst  of  them. 

A.  And  .  .  .  child=doubtless  a  well-known  and  be- 
loved young  member  of  the  family  dwelling  in  the  house; 
the  scene  is  in  Capernaum  (Mark  9  :  33).  The  act  of  the 
Saviour,  as  described  in  Mark  9  :  36,  "  taking  him  in  his 
arms,"  indicates  that  the  child  was  still  of  the  most 
tender  age,  while  its  modest  and  obedient  conduct,  when 
the  Lord  called  it,  indicates  that  it  had  already  passed 

41 


42  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xviii.  3. 

the  earliest  period  of  infancy. — B.  And  set,  etc.^as  a 
visible  and  therefore  more  impressive  illustration  of  the 
following  lesson.  Such  a  mode  of  teaching  by  a  sym- 
bolical action  prevailed  in  the  east  (see  10  :  14,  C,  and 
comp.  John  13  :  4-14  ;  Acts  21  :  11,  and  2  Kings  13  :  17  ; 
2  Chron.  18  :  10;   Ezek.  12  :  3-1 1). 

^  And  said,  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Except  ye  turn,  and  become  as  little 
children,  ye  shall  in  no  wise  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

A.  Verily  .  .  .  you.  The  Lord  claims  the  most 
earnest  attention  ("  verily  ")  to  His  words,  for  He  intends 
to  teach  two  solemn  lessons  :  first,  that  His  kingdom  is 
a  spiritual  kingdom  (John  18  :  36;  Rom.  14  :  7),  and, 
secondly,  that  none  are  admitted  into  it  except  those 
who,  like  Himself,  are  meek  and  lowly  in  heart  (11  :  29). 
For  verily,  see  5:18,  A. — B.  Turn.  The  original  word, 
in  its  spiritual  sense,  designates  a  turning  or  changing 
"from  darkness  to  light,  etc."  (Acts  26  :  18  ;  11  :  21  ; 
James  5  :  20).  Here  the  Lord  specially  declares  that 
without  a  change  to  entirely  opposite  views  and  feelings, 
such  a  deep  humility  before  God,  His  hearers  can  have 
"  neither  part  nor  lot"  (Acts  8:21)  in  the  kingdom  of 
heaven. — C.  Become  .  .  .  children=like  this  little  child 
(ver.  4).  That  child  was  gazing  in  modest  silence  at  the 
Lord  and  His  disciples  ;  it  was  too  young  to  comprehend 
and  covet  earthly  power  and  fame ;  it  was  conscious  that 
it  could  not  control  adults,  and  was  willing  to  be  con- 
trolled. The  child's  freedom  from  ambition  or  a  thirst 
for  fame,  its  unassuming,  modest,  ingenuous  spirit,  its 
ready  submission  and  trustfulness,  were  some  of  the 
traits  which  fitted  it  to  be  an  image  of  an  humble, 
obedient  and  loving  follower  of  Christ  (comp.  i  Cor. 
14  :  20).  Such  traits  alone,  and  not  its  sinful  nature,  its 
ignorance,  etc.,  are  here  intended,  even  as  the  coming  of 
the  thief  ill   the  night  only   in  sonic  features  (the  unex- 


XVIII.  4,  5-1  CHAPTER  XVIII.  .  43 

pectedness  of  his  visit,  according  to  Rev.  3  :  3)  resembles 
that  of  the  day  of  the  Lord  (see.  above,  7  :  6,  A.). 
Original  sin,  or  corruption  of  heart,  adheres  even  to  the 
little  child,  according  to  John  3:6;  Eph.  2  :  3).  The 
true  greatness  or  dignity  of  man,  therefore,  is  not 
derived  from  any  personal  quality  or  act,  but  from  the 
circumstance  that  he  is  an  object  of  divine  pity  and 
redeeming  love  (ver.  11).  They  who  really  acquire  such 
greatness  are  those  who  most  of  all  abase  themselves 
before  God  (ver.  4),  and  give  the  honor  to  God  alone. — 
D.  Ye  shall,  etc.  To  Nicodemus  Christ  said  :  "  Ye 
must  be  born  again  "  (John  3:3,  5,  7).  So,  too,  He 
announces  here  to  His  disciples  and  to  all  men,  that  no 
one  can  become  a  child  of  God  without  becoming  a  new 
creature  (Gal.  6  :  15).  The  unregenerate  soul  is  incapable 
of  entering  the  kingdom  of  God  (Rom.  6:6;  Eph.  4:22; 
Col.  3  :  9). 

*  Whosoever  therefore  shall  humble  himself  as  this  little  child,  the  same 
is  the  greatest  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

A.  Whoever  .  .  .  child=whosoever  shall  be  unassum- 
ing {Jiumble,  in  the  same  sense  in  which  the  word  occurs 
in  I  Pet.  5  :  5),  and  as  little  occupied  in  thought  and 
feeling  with  the  objects  of  human  ambition  as  this  child 
now  is,  and  who  has  attained  to  that  state  by  penitence 
and  faith,  the  same  is,  etc. — B.  The  same,  etc.==such  a 
discipline  shall,  in  strict  accordance  with  the  degree  of 
his  humility  and  heavenly-mindedness,  be  "  counted 
worthy  of  (=fitfor)  the  kingdom  of  God"  (2  Thess.  i  :  5). 
'  And  whoso  shall  receive  one  such  little  child  in  my  name  receiveth  me. 

The  circumstances  lead  the  Saviour  to  repeat  the 
truths  which  he  had  uttered  on  a  previous  occasion  (see 
10  :  40-42,  and  comp.  Mark  9  :  41).  The  sense  is :  If  ye 
desire  to  be  My  true  disciples,  and  to  extend  My  kingdom 
on  earth,  ye  must  seek  to   acquire  such  a  spirit   of  humil- 


44  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xviii.  6. 

ity.  When  ye  feel  most  deeply  that  ye  yourselves  are 
"  but  dust  and  ashes  "  (Gen.  i8  :  27),  and  when  ye  "  count 
all  things  but  loss  for  the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  " 
(Phil.  3  :  8)  of  Me,  your  Lord,  then  have  ye  obtained  your 
true  rank,  and  then  shall  ye  bring  the  blessings  of  the 
Gospel  to  those  who  receive  you  (comp.  receive  in  Acts 
21  :  17).  This  Gospel  must  be  preached  and  received 
"  in  My  name  "=I  am  its  Author;  it  is  authoritative  be- 
cause it  comes  from  Me,  and  I  dwell  with  the  humble 
alone  (comp.  Isai.  57  :  15,  and  see  below,  20:  26,  B.).  The 
whole  tenor  of  the  words  proves  that  no  ofifice  in  the 
Christian  Church,  whatever  its  name  may  be,  essentially 
confers  a  higher  rank  than  that  which  all  other  believers 
possess  in  the  eyes  of  God,  and  that  no  motive  which  in- 
clines an  individual  to  seek  such  an  office,  can  be  accept- 
able, unless  that  motive  flow  from  a  disinterested  and 
holy  source  (comp.  i  Tim.  3  :  i). 

*  But  whoso  shall  cause  one  of  these  little  ones  which  believe  on  me  to 
stumble,  it  is  profitable  for  him  that  a  great  millstone  should  be  hanged 
about  his  neck,  and  that  he  should  be  sunk  in  the  depth  of  the  sea. 

A.  Cause  to  stumble^give  them  an  occasion  to  fall, 
tempt,  mislead  or  corrupt  them  (see  above,  5  :  29,  30). 
The  Lord  here  impressively  sets  forth  the  deep  guilt  of 
those  who,  by  their  levity  or  bad  example  or  other  con- 
duct, teach  the  young  to  adopt  evil  practices,  or  lead 
them  from  the  path  of  duty.  "  Even  well-meaning  per- 
sons, when  governed  by  a  zeal  without  knowledge,  may 
cause  many  to  stumble,  that  is,  lead  them  off  from  the 
way  of  life  and  truth.  So  Gregory,  who  taught  the 
doctrine  of  purgatory,  and  Francis,  Benedict  and  Domi- 
nic, who  filled  the  world  with  monasteries  and  convents, 
perverted  many  souls  by  pretending  to  find  a  new  and 
shorter  road  to  heaven." — LUTHER. — B.  Little  ones. 
This  expression  first  occurs  in    10  :  42,  which  see  ;  it  is 


xvrri.  7.]  CHAPTER  XVIII.  45 

repeated  below  (ver.  10  and  14).  It  appears  to  be  here 
employed  as  a  descriptive  name  of  all  who  receive  Christ 
in  humility  and  faith,  and  of  whom  little  children  are  an 
image,  according  to  ver.  3,  C.  Little  children  are,  how- 
ever, included  in  the  phrase,  for  they,  too,  may  be  con- 
verted and  become  believers  at  a  very  early  age.  Hence, 
their  spiritual  wants  claim  the  deep  and  active  interest 
and  care  of  parents,  pastors,  teachers  and  all  believers. — 
C.  Great  millstone.  The  grinding  of  grain  was  usually 
performed  by  two  females  (Exod.  11:5;  Matt.  24  :  41) 
by  means  of  handmills  ;  the  lower  stone,  on  which  the 
upper  revolved,  was  not  turned.  Mills  of  the  largest 
kind  were  usually  turned  by  asses  ;  the  upper  millstone 
or  rider  was,  in  this  case,  very  large  and  heavy  (Rev. 
18  :  21),  and  is  the  one  which  the  original  here  indicates. 
— D.  Were  hanged,  etc.  The  allusion  is  to  the  mode  of 
inflicting  capital  punishment  by  submersion  in  the  sea. 
The  whole  phrase,  which  is  proverbial  in  its  character, 
was  usually  intended,  in  its  popular  use,  to  represent  the 
particular  evil  which  the  speaker  believes  to  be  so  great, 
that  even  inevitable  death,  in  any  frightful  form,  is  less 
terrible.  The  sense  here  is  :  No  evil  which  the  offender 
endured  previously  to  the  commission  of  this  sin,  could 
inflict  such  an  injury  on  him  as  this  sin  does.  The  Lord 
Himself,  by  employing  the  phrase,  indicates  the  awful- 
ness  of  the  guilt  and  punishment  of  those  who  through 
thoughtlessness,  covetousness  or  malice,  tempt  an  hum- 
ble believer  to  sin  against  God. 

'  Woe  unto  the  world  because  of  occasions  of  stumbling !  for  it  must 
needs  be  that  the  occasions  come ;  but  woe  to  that  man  through  whom  the 
occasion  cometh ! 

A.  Woe  (see  11  :  21,  A.),  occasions  of  stumbling  (see 
5  :  29,  30).  The  Lord  here,  as  in  Luke  19  :  41,  mourns 
over  the  miseries   to  which  man  ("the  world")   is  now 


46  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xviii.  8-9. 

exposed  ;  these  proceed  from  the  temptations  to  sin  to 
which  men  originally  yielded  (Gen.  ch.  3).  Hence,  no 
individual  who  feels  the  power  of  the  truth,  can  consider 
the  subject  of  the  future  salvation  of  himself  and  of 
others,  with  any  other  feeling  except  that  of  deep  con- 
cern.— B.  For  .  .  .  come.  The  necessity  here  expressed, 
as  also  in  Luke  14  :  18  ;  Heb.  7:12;  Jude,  ver.  3  ;  2  Cor. 
9:5;  Phil.  2  :  25,  is  simply  to  be  so  understood  that  the 
circumstances  of  the  particular  case  easily  lead  to,  or 
point  out,  such  a  result,  while  man  is  a  free  agent. 
Temptations  to  sin  must  needs  occur  in  a  world  lying  in 
wickedness  (i  John  5  :  19),  the  Saviour  says,  in  allusion 
to  the  corrupt  nature  of  man,  for  "  every  imagination  of 
the  thought  of  his  heart  is  only  evil  continually  "  (Gen. 
6:5;  8:21),  and  the  tree  must  needs  yield  fruit  corre- 
sponding to  its  nature  (comp.  i  Cor.  11  :  19). — C.  But 
woe  to,  etc.  The  sense  is:  Inasmuch  as  God  has  been 
pleased  to  afford  all  necessary  means  and  opportunities 
to  man  to  overcome  the  power  of  sin  by  His  grace,  we 
are  fully  responsible  for  all  our  acts  as  much  as  Judas 
was  (26  :  24),  and  "  must  give  account  "  of  ourselves  to 
God  (Rom.  14  :  12). 

*,  9  And  if  thy  hand  or  thy  foot  causeth  thee  to  stumble,  cut  it  off,  and 
cast  it  from  thee :  it  is  good  for  thee  to  enter  into  life  maimed  or  halt, 
rather  than  having  two  hands  or  two  feet  to  be  cast  into  the  eternal  fire. 
And  if  thine  eye  causeth  thee  to  stumble,  pluck  it  out,  and  cast  it  from 
thee  :  it  is  good  for  thee  to  enter  into  life  with  one  eye,  rather  than  having 
two  eyes  to  be  cast  into  the  hell  of  fire. 

A.     And    if,   etc.     So    far    the    Lord    had    spoken    of 

temptations  and  snares  which  others  place  in  the  way  of 

the  believer.     But,  before  He  dismisses  the  subject.  He 

glances  once  more  into  man's  heart,  in  order  to  reveal 

anew    its    dcceitfulness  ;    the    temptation    may    proceed 

directly  from  vians  own  heart,  and  lead  to   his  eternal 

ruin.     The   Lord   therefore   repeats   the    doctrine  which 


will.  lo.]  CHAPTER  XVIII.  47 

He  had  taught  already  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount 
(5  :  29,  30). — B.  Wa\t:=laine.  The  sense  is  :  If  thou,  in 
place  of  denying  thyself  (cutting  off  the  hand,  5  :  29,  30), 
dost  gratify  the  lusts  of  thy  heart,  the  eternal  loss  of  thy 
soul  will  be  a  greater  evil  than  the  temporary  gratifica- 
tion of  thy  carnal  will,  was  an  enjoyment  (comp.  Luke 
16  :  25). — C.  Eternal  fire.  The  original  word  is  found 
very  frequently  in  the  N.  T.  It  occurs  specially  in  com- 
bination with  the  word  life,  when  the  blessedness  of 
heaven  is  meant,  as  in  19  :  16;  John  3:15,  16,  36;  Rom. 
2  :  7,  and  frequently,  elsewhere.  It  is  also  placed  in 
combination  with  words  designating  the  punishments  in 
the  world  to  come,  as  Matt.  25  141  ;  Mark  3  :  29  ;  2 
Thess.  1:9;  Judges,  ver.  7.  Even  as  the  blessedness  of 
the  redeemed  in  heaven  will  be  endless,  so,  too,  the 
punishments  of  the  lost  in  hell  will  be  endless  (see 
25  :  41,  B.). — D,  The  hell  of  fire.'  The  same  expression 
occurs  above  (5  :  22,  G.),  where  see  the  explanation. 

'"  See  that  ye  despise  not  one  of  these  little  ones  ;  for  I  say  unto  you, 
That  in  heaven  their  angels  do  always  behold  the  face  of  my  Father  which 
is  in  heaven. 

A.  5ee  that  .  .  .  ones.  When  the  Lord  here  resumes 
the  subject  already  introduced  in  ver.  6  ("  little  ones  "), 
He  designs  to  reveal  in  the  words  :  "  their  angels,  etc."  a 
truth  to  the  disciples,  the  remembrance  of  which  shall 
ever  give  them  a  deep  interest  in  the  spiritual  welfare  of 
the  most  humble  and  obscure  believer. — Despise =Mz;//& 
lightly  of,  not  care  for,  as  too  insignificant  or  mean 
(comp.  the  same  word  in  Rom.  2  :  4). — B.  In  heaven 
their  angels,  etc.  Inasmuch  as  oriental  monarchs  usually 
admitted  none  to  their  presence  except  persons  of  great 
distinction,  the  privilege  of  daily  beholding  his  face  (  = 
approaching  near  to  him),  indicated  the  possession  of 
high  rank  (see   i   Kings  10  :  8  ;  2  Kings  25  :  19,  margin  ; 


48  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xviii.  12. 

Esther  i  :  14).  The  allusion  in  the  text  to  this  usage, 
like  the  corresponding  words  of  the  angel  Gabriel  (Luke 
I  :  19),  implies,  first,  that  there  are  degrees  of  rank,  or  at 
least  distinctions  in  office,  among  the  angels,  not  further 
explained  in  the  Scriptures  (see  Eph.  1:21;  3  :  10  ;  Col. 
I  :  16  ;  I  Peter  3  :  22)  ;  and,  secondly,  that  the  angels  of 
"  these  little  ones  "  hold  the  highest  rank  or  office.  The 
Scriptures  repeatedly  teach  that  angels  are  employed  by 
the  Creator  in  executing  His  will,  and  that  they  are 
specially  engaged  in  the  service  of  God  when  they  protect 
believers  (see  Ps.  34  :  7  ;  91  :  1 1  ;  Dan.  10  :  13,  21  ;  12:1; 
Hebr.  i  :  14,  and  for  illustrations.  Acts  5  :  19  ;  12  :  7). 
Neither  the  present  passage,  nor  any  other  found  in  the 
Scriptures,  expressly  teaches  that  cacJi  believer  is  ahvays 
attended  by  an  invisible  tutelary  or  guardian  angel.  Not 
only  is  such  a  view  contradicted  in  the  present  passage 
by  the  declaration  that  these  angels,  when  not  sent  on  a 
special  mission,  are  "always"  in  heaven  (see  Acts  12  :  10), 
but  also  by  the  well-known  doctrine  that  the  omnipresent 
God  does  not,  like  an  earthly  monarch,  really  need  the 
aid  of  any  creature  while  He  protects  His  people.  The 
sense  of  the  present  passage,  therefore,  which  is  explained 
by  no  other  in  the  Scriptures  containing  the  phrase 
"  their  angels,"  probably  is  the  following :  When  God  is 
pleased  to  employ  an  angel  in  conferring  a  special  favor 
on  any  of  His  people.  He  commissions  one  of  the  highest 
rank,  and  thus  shows  us  the  deep  interest  which  we  should 
feel  in  the  salvation  of  the  soul  of  every  believer,  without 
regard  to  age,  sex,  temporal  rank  or  condition. 

[Verse  11  of  the  A.  V.  is  omitted  in  the  Revised  Version.] 
'^  How  think  ye  ?  if  any  man  have  a  hundred  sheep,  and  one  of  them  be 
gone  astray,  doth  he  not  leave  the  ninety  and  nine,  and  go  unto  the  mount- 
ains, and  seek  that  which  goeth  astray  ? 

The   sense   is  :    If  a  man,  who  is  evil,  can  sometimes 


xviii.  13.]  CHAPTER  XVIIT.  49 

show  pity  and  love,  how  much  more  compassionate  and 
tender  may  you  believe  the  God  of  love  to  be !  (Comp. 
7:11).  The  illustration  which  now  follows  (and  is  found 
also  in  Luke  15:3,  ff.)  refers  only  to  the  point  that  a  lost 
sheep  may  be  remembered,  be  pitied,  and  be  patiently 
sought,  even  when  it  is  "  gone  astray."  The  ninety  and 
nine,  like  the  "servants  of  the  householder"  (13  :  27),  are 
introduced  simply  to  complete  the  narrative,  viewed  as  a 
parable.  They  are  an  image  neither  of  the  proportion 
between  the  numbers  of  the  lost  and  saved,  nor  any  class 
or  portion  of  human  beings  who  never  fell  from  God,  for 
"  all  have  sinned  "  (Rom.  3  :  23).  Neither  does  God,  as 
it  would  otherwise  appear,  ever  temporarily  abandon  the 
care  of  His  faithful  people  because  they  are  faithful — an 
inference  which  manifestly  involves  an  error.  It  is  pos- 
sible, however,  that  by  the  one  lost  sheep  the  Saviour 
represents  the  entire  human  race,  the  world  (John  3  16 ; 
I  John  4  :  14),  and  by  the  ninety-nine  sheep  the  angels, 
of  whom  He  had  just  spoken,  who  never  fell  into  sin, 
and  who  rejoice  (Luke  15  :  10),  when  the  lost  one  is  found 
by  divine  grace,  and  now  unites  with  them  in  praising 
God.     (See  above,  9:13,  E.). 

"  And  if  so  be  that  he  find  it,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  he  rejoiceth  over  it 
more  than  over  the  ninety  and  nine  which  have  not  gone  astray. 

A.  If  [it  should]  so  be  .  .  .  it=not  every  lost  sinner 
is  necessarily  found,  that  is,  repents  and  is  saved.  The 
"calling  and  election  "  belong  to  all  who  hear  the  Gospel, 
but  are  not  "made  sure"  (=firm,  efificacious),  unless  man 
"gives  diligence"  in  complying  with  the  Gospel  terms  of 
salvation  (2  Peter  i  :  10). — B.  He  rejoiceth,  etc.  The 
motives  and  feelings  of  the  unjust  Judge  mentioned  in 
Luke  18  :  1-8,  were  by  no  means  images  of  the  divine 
purposes  ;  nevertheless,  they  furnished  an  affecting  illus- 
tration of  the  divine  willingness  to  listen  to  the  believer's 
4 


^o  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.         [xviii.  14,  \<, 

prayers.  So,  too,  in  the  present  case,  the  rejoicing  of  the 
owner  of  the  sheep,  who  seems  in  his  dehght  to  forget 
the  ninety-nine,  simply  indicates  the  divine  pleasure  with 
which  the  conversion,  sanctification  and  salvation  of  man 
are  beheld  (Ezek.  18  :  23  ;  Ps.  147  :  11).  The  image  is 
taken  from  human  emotions.  The  undisturbed  posses- 
sion of  property  allows  the  feelings  to  be  calm  ;  a  loss 
creates  anxiety  and  pain  ;  the  act  of  finding  produces  a 
pleasing  excitement,  a  positive  enjoyment.  This  is  the 
point  of  the  comparison  =  the  positive  pleasure  of  God  in 
the  conversion  and  salvation  of  a  lost  sinner. 

'^  Even  so  it  is  not  the  will  of  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven,  that  one 
of  these  little  ones  should  perish. 

The  Saviour  here  declares  the  divine  will  in  reference 
to  "  these  little  ones,"  of  whom  He  had  just  spoken  (ver. 
6  and  10).  On  the  general  subject,  the  apostles  teach 
that  the  gracious  purposes  of  God  (who  is  "  not  willing 
that  any  should  perish,  but  that  all  should  come  to 
repentance,"  2  Peter  3:9;  i  Tim.  2  :4),  contemplated  the 
salvation  of  all  men  (Tit.  2:11)  who  are  willing  to  become 
"little  ones,"  and  to  beheve  (John  5:40;  comp.  Ezek. 
18:23;  33:11).  Hence  the  object  of  the  mission  of 
Christ  is  announced  to  be  :  "  that  the  world  through  Him 
might  be  saved  "  (John  3  :  17). 

'*  And  if  thy  brother  sin  against  thee,  go,  show  him  his  fault  between 
thee  and  him  alone  :  if  he  hear  thee,  thou  hast  gained  thy  brother. 

A.  And  if.  After  the  Lord  had  cautioned  his  disci- 
ples, and  commanded  that  they  should  neither  give 
offence  to  others  (ver.  6),  nor  yield  to  internal  temptations 
to  sin  (ver.  8),  He  proceeds  to  a  third  point — the  course 
which  the  believer  is  to  follow  when  lie  is  himself  ihQ 
offended  or  injured  party.  He  presupposes  that  no 
genuine  disciple  will  avenge  himself  (Rom.  12  :  19),  and 
prescribes    the    modes    in    which    an    offender   may    be 


XVIII.  15,  i6.]  CHAPTER  XVIII.  51 

reclaimed,  and  fraternal  love  be  restored.  As  the  follow- 
ing words  prospectively  refer  to  the  Church  (ver.  17), 
viewed  as  an  organized  body,  the  offender  is  here 
described  as  a  "  brother  "=a  member  of  the  Church  of 
Christ.  The  love  to  which  he  is  entitled,  is  enkindled  by 
the  believer's  experience  of  God's  forgiving  love  to  him- 
self (5:44,  45  ;  John  13:34;  Eph.  4:32;  i  John  4 ;  11, 
20,  21. — B,  Sin  against.  A  brother,  a  Christian  by 
profession,  commits,  not  a  trivial  offence,  but  a  sin  when 
he,  in  any  manner,  does  wrong  to  another,  for  he  "trans- 
gresses" (i  John  3:4)  the  "royal  law  (James  2  : 8). — C. 
Go,  show  .  .  .  aIone=the  first  step  of  the  injured 
party.  The  latter,  bearing  in  mind  the  words  in  6:  14,  15, 
shall  not  immediately  complain  openly,  and  needlessly 
bring  reproach  on  the  Christian  name  ;  he  shall,  with  a 
suffering,  hoping  and  enduring  love  (i  Cor.  14:4,7), 
remember  that  while  the  offender  is  an  erring  brother,  he 
is  still  a  brother  {com^.  Lev.  19:  17,  18).  A  private  inter- 
view, voluntarily  sought  and  conducted  by  the  injured 
party  in  a  forgiving,  holy  spirit  ("  speaking  the  truth  in 
love"  Eph.  4  15),  while  candidly  exposing  the  offender's 
fault  to  him,  may  soften  him,  convince  him  of  his  sin,  and 
induce  him  to  seek  the  forgiveness  not  only  of  his 
brother,  but  also  of  his  God. — The  word  translated  show 
(=expostulate)  often  signifies  to  convince  another  of  his 
error  (Tit.  i  :9),  reprove  or  admonish  (Luke  3  :  19),  disclose 
or  make  manifest  (John  3:20;  Eph.  5:11). — D.  Thou 
hast,  etc,=either,  thou  hast  regained  his  love  which  he 
had  withdrawn,  or,  rather,  as  ver.  14  and  17  indicate,  thou 
hast  won  him  back  for  Christ  and  salvation  (i  John  3  :  8, 
15,  Comp.  I  Cor.  9:  19-22  ;  James  5  :  20). 

'*  But  if  he  hear  thee  not,  take  with  thee  one  or  two  more,  that  at  the 
mouth  of  two  witnesses  or  three  every  word  may  be  established. 

A.     Take  with,  etc.=the  second  step   of  the   injured 


52  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.       [xviii.   16,17. 

party.  One  or  two  more  ;  this  is  a  general  allusion  to 
the  Mosaic  law  (such  as  Paul  also  makes  in  2  Cor.  13  :  i), 
namely  to  Deut.  19:  15.  In  the  next  phrase  :  two  or 
three,  the  offended  party  is  counted  with  the  power,  "  one 
or  two,"  the  precise  number,  however,  not  being  material. 
— Witnesses=not  in  the  sense  of  witnesses  who  testify 
an  oath  before  a  public  tribunal.  These  individuals 
rather  resemble  arbitrators  of  acknowledges  good  judg- 
ment and  character,  who,  without  an  of^cial  appointment, 
but  with  the  consent  of  both  parties,  bear  ivitness  (=:give 
their  opinion)  respecting  the  merits  of  the  case.  The 
Lord,  even  at  this  stage,  desires  that  unnecessary  notoriety 
should  be  avoided. — B.  Every  word  (  =  case,  matter) 
etc;  the  words  are  quoted  from  Deut.  19 :  15,  where  it  is 
declared  that  thus  "  the  matter  shall  be  established " 
(comp.  2  Cor.  13:  i).  The  Greek  term,  generally  trans- 
lated zvord,  occasionally  means  a  matter,  affair  or  thing, 
and  is  so  translated  in  Luke  2:15;  Acts  5  :  32  ;  here  it 
\s=^matter  in  dispute.  This  is  in  conformity  to  the  usage 
of  the  corresponding  Hebrew  term,  which  often  means 
zvord,  but  also  sometimes  thing,  as  in  Gen.  1 5  :  i  ;  20 :  10, 
and  is  applied  to  a  disputed  question,  and  translated 
matter  {'Eyiod.  18  :  16). — Established  =  settled,  determined. 
— The  sense  is  :  These  umpires,  who  are  themselves  be- 
lievers and  disinterested  brethren,  shall  conscientiously 
examine  the  case  and  pronounce  their  judgment  respect- 
ing the  course  which  the  offender  should  pursue.  The 
Lord  requires  the  injured  party  to  be  well  satisfied,  by  a 
severe  self-examination,  before  any  steps  are  taken,  that 
he  is  not  in  reality  himself  the  offending  party. 

*^  And  if  he  refuse  to  hear  them,  tell  it  unto  the  church  :  and  if  he  refuse 
to  hear  the  church  also,  let  him  be  unto  thee  as  the  Gentile  and  the 
publican. 

A.     Refuse  to    hear    thee,     The    form    of    the   Greek 


XVIII.  i;.]  CHAPTER  XVIII.  53 

word  translated  refuse  to  hear^  suggests  as  a  translation 
the  word  uiishear,  which  is  not  in  general  use  ;  the  first 
syllable,  as  in  misdirect,  misapply,  etc.,  would  indicate  an 
error  or  a  wrong.  Hence,  a  wilful  or  contumacious 
rejection  of  the  decision  of  the  "  witnesses  "  (which  is 
assumed  to  be  made  in  an  enlightened,  disinterested  and 
holy  spirit),  is  indicated,  as  equivalent  to  disobedience. — 
B.  Tell  .  .  ,  church  =  the  third  step  of  the  injured 
party.  The  word  church  is  not  usually  employed  in  the 
N.  T.  in  the  sense  of  symrgogue,  and  yet  here  evi- 
dently designates  an  organized  or  visible  society  of 
worshippers  (see  above  16  :  18,  D,  and  16 :  19,  G.).  Hence, 
the  Lord,  who  now  gives  a  rule  which  is  of  perpetual 
validity,  speaks  by  way  of  anticipation  of  a  Christian  con- 
gregation established  in  any  spot,  and  constituting  a 
representative  of  the  general  Christian  Church.  The  two 
parties  are  assumed  to  be  persons  who  have  made  an  open 
confession  of  their  faith  in  Christ.  The  Lord  does  not 
prescribe  the  precise  mode  of  obtaining  the  sense  of  the 
church,  indicating  that  such  details,  like  the  number, 
names  or  specific  duties  of  church  officers,  should  be  sub- 
sequently arranged  by  the  Christian  wisdom  of  His  people, 
as  the  circumstances  might  require  or  dictate  (comp.  Acts 
6  :  3). — C.  Let  him  .  .  .  publican==let  him  no  longer  be 
counted  as  a  fellow-Christian,  but  be  as  one  of  those  who 
are  "  without  "  the  pale  of  the  church,  not  Christians  (see 
I  Cor.  5:12;  Col.  4:5;!  Thess.  4:12;  i  Tim.  3:7;  Rev. 
22  :  15).  The  heathen  or  Gentile  (Eph.  2:11,12),  and  the 
publican  (see  5  :  46,  C),  were  regarded  as  aliens  and  out- 
casts. The  Lord,  in  using  this  proverbial  language  (in 
the  original  "  the  Gentile  "),  not  only  implies  that  the 
obstinate  offender  betrays  an  entire  want  of  Christian 
knowledge,  faith  and  love  (Rom.  15:2),  but  he  also  com- 
missions his  people,  for  the  sake  of  the  purity  and  peace 


e^  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xviii.  i8. 

of  the  Church,  to  refrain  from  having  any  ecclesiastical 
fellowship  with  him.  Nevertheless,  while  the  Church 
thus  administers  justice  always  in  love,  its  duty  to 
endeavor  to  reclaim  the  offender  never  ceases,  even  as  the 
wandering  sheep  (ver.  12),  never  ceases  to  be  an  object  of 
pity  to  the  Good  Shepherd  himself.  The  principles 
which  are  to  guide  the  Church  in  administering  discipline, 
the  occasions,  the  mode,  the  treatment  of  penitent 
offenders,  etc.,  are  further  developed  in  Rom.  16:  17;  2 
Thess,  3:6,1412  Tim.  ch.  3;  Tit.  3:10;  i  Cor.  ch.  5, 
comp.  with  2  Cor.  2  :  5-8  ;  7:  12,  and  6:  14;  Gal.  6:  i. 

'8  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  what  things  soever  ye  shall  bind  on  earth  shall 
be  bound  in  heaven  :  and  what  things  soever  ye  shall  lose  on  earth  shall  be 
loosed  in  heaven. 

These  words  had  previously  been  addressed  to  Peter 
individually  ;  (see  above,  16  :  19).  Here,  where  they  are 
repeated,  the  whole  tenor  of  the  discourse  indicates  that 
the  same  authority,  power  or  ofifice  is  now  extended  to 
Christ's  believing  people,  or  the  Church  generally,  as  ver. 
17  shows.  Hence,  as  the  Lord  implies  that  His  people 
will  not  be  abandoned  to  their  own  erring  wisdom,  but  be 
guided  in  their  deliberations  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  such 
heavenly  wisdom  will  reveal  itself  in  two  or  three  devout 
believers  as  fully  as  if  the  whole  company  of  believers 
were  assembled.  It  is  evident,  as  the  following  words  also 
imply,  that,  in  addition  to  faith,  very  thorough  religious 
knowledge  and  the  utmost  purity  of  heart  are  essential 
features  in  the  Christian  character  of  Church  members. 
The  whole  tenor  of  the  verse  indicates  that  some  special 
action,  distinct  from  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel,  is  here 
described  by  the  words  bind  and  loose.  Now  as  verses 
15  :  17  contain  rules  of  church  discipline  which  are  of 
perpetual  force,  and  as  ver.  19  :  20,  are  regarded  as  con- 
ferring privileges  and  blessings  on  the  Church  which  have 


XVIII.  i8.]  CHAPTER  XVIIL  55 

by  no  means  been  withdrawn  since  the  age  of  the  apostles, 
it  may  be  assumed  that  this  i8th  or  intermediate  verse 
also  contains  a  commission  which  still  exists  in  the  church, 
namely,  the  exercise  of  the  power  of  the  keys  (see  16  :  19, 
B.),  or  the  right  to  grant  or  withhold  absolution  (John 
20  :  23).  Not  one  of  the  errors  which  the  Romish  Church 
attempts  to  sustain  by  this  passage,  such  as  auricular  con- 
fession (implying  a  rigid  enumeration  of  sins  before  a 
priest\  penance,  works  of  satisfaction  and  merit,  etc.,  is 
indicated  in  the  least  degree.  Nevertheless,  the  words 
clearly  refer  to  an  ecclesiastical  course,  or  indicate  some 
act  which  implies  a  previous  preaching  or  teaching  of  the 
Gospel  as  a  distinct  procedure,  and  as  the  ground  or  the 
justification  of  the  binding  or  loosing.  When  the  apostle 
says:  "  Confess  your  sins,  etc."  (James  5  :  16),  he  refers  to 
a  confession  which  members  of  the  Church  make  under 
circumstances  which  he  regards  as  familiarly  known  to  his 
readers.  The  present  text  may  then  be  understood  as 
declaring  that  if  a  person,  properly  authorized  and  com- 
petent to  "  try  the  spirits  "  (i  John  4  :  i),  confer  with  a 
sincerely  penitent  sinner,  and,  after  receiving  a  satisfactory 
statement  respecting  his  penitence  and  faith,  declare  his 
sins  to  be  forgiven  (which  is  only  the  application  in  a 
special  case  of  the  Saviour's  gracious  words  in  Mark 
16  :  16),  such  forgiveness  or  absolution,  when  received  in 
faith,  shall  be  esteemed  as  sanctioned  by  the  Lord.  Now, 
as  God  alone  can  actually  forgive  sins,  that  exercise  of 
the  "  loosing  key  "  ("  remit,"  John  20  :  23),  in  a  case  in 
which  the  "  binding  key  "  ("  retain  ")  should  have  been 
applied,  namely,  in  the  case  of  an  impenitent  or  hypo- 
critical person,  will  not  secure  the  divine  forgiveness. 
As  the  exercise  of  "■  the  power  of  the  keys,"  led  to  gross 
abuses,  during  the  general  reign  of  popery,  on  the  part  of 
the  clergy,  who   alone  exercised   it  as  a  special   right ;  as 


56  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xviii.  19. 

it  is,  moreover,  attended  with  difficulties  of  a  peculiar 
nature  when  it  assumes  the  form  of  an  absolution  of  a 
penitent,  and  as  it  is  not  enjoined  in  this  verse  as  indis- 
pensable to  the  existence  and  healthy  growth  of  the 
Church,  it  has,  as  a  formal  act  of  confession  and  absolu- 
tion in  the  case  of  individuals,  been  discontinued  by  large 
numbers  of  Protestants,  while  it  is  retained  with  many 
enormous  and  dangerous  abuses  by  the  papists.  In  place 
of  the  declaration  announcing  the  forgiveness  of  God  to 
an  individual  who  is  a  believer,  a  general  statement  of  the 
divine  terms  of  forgiveness  is  deemed  by  many  as  suffici- 
ent, and  the  private  and  personal  application  is  left  to  the 
conscience  of  the  individual.  In  some  cases  the  "  power 
of  the  keys  "  is  viewed  as  nothing  more  than  the  right  of 
a  congregation  to  receive,  suspend  or  exclude  individuals 
inaccordancewith  their  confession  and  conduct  (16:  19,  B.) 

''  Again  I  say  unto  you,  that  if  two  of  you  shall  agree  on  earth  as  touch- 
ing anything  that  they  shall  ask,  it  shall  be  done  for  them  of  my  Father 
which  is  in  heaven. 

A.  If  two  .  .  .  earth.  The  privileges  of  believers  are 
here  still  further  enlarged.  If  any  two  Christians,  who 
seek  to  acquire  the  character  described  in  Eph.  i  :  17-19, 
unite  in  opinion  and  feeling  on  any  point  connected  not 
only  with  church  discipline,  but  with  the  religious  life 
generally  ("  anything  "),  and  then  bring  their  petitions  to 
the  throne  of  grace,  their  prayers  shall  be  heard^"  it 
shall  be  done,  etc.,"  (comp.  i  John  5  :  14,  15).  The  words 
agree  as  touching,  etc.,  indicates  that  the  consultation 
must  be  conducted  in  a  spirit  of  Christian  love  in  order 
to  give  efficacy  to  the  prayer  which  succeeds  it. — Again^ 
further,  besides,  as  in  4  :  8  ;  5  :  33  ;  13  :  44- — B.  Touch- 
ing .  .  .  done.  The  same  conditions  on  which  the  fulfil- 
ment of  the  promise  in  7  :  7,  B.  and  C.  depends,  ap.ply 
also  here.     The  Lord  addresses  the  words  to  those  who 


xviii.  20.]  CHAPTER  XVIII.  57 

are  enlightened  and  genuine  believers. — Touching^with 
respect  to,  concerning.  If  prayer  ought  to  be  "  made  for 
all  men,"  according  to  i  Tim.  2:1,  then  one  of  its  sub- 
jects must  be  the  repentance  of  the  erring  brother  whose 
case  has  just  been  described. — C  In  heaven  ;  this  term 
answers  to  the  former:  "  on  earth,"  teaching  how  "nigh 
the  Lord  is  unto  all  them  that  call  upon  him"  (Ps. 
145  :  18). 

-°  For  where  two  or  three  are  gathered  together  m  my  name,  there  am  I 
in  the  midst  of  them. 

A.  For  ,  .  .  together=come  together,  meet  for  any 
such  a  special  religious  purpose  (consultation,  ver.  19, 
mutual  encouragement,  study  of  the  divine  word  and  will, 
prayer),  and  are  "  of  one  heart  and  one  soul  "  (Acts  4  :  32). 
Any  informal,  private  meeting  ("  two  or  three  "),  not  dis- 
turbing, but  rather  promoting  the  harmony  and  godliness 
of  the  Church,  may  be  understood.  The  connection 
obviously  shows  that  no  meeting  or  gathering  of  a  few 
members  held  in  opposition  to  the  Church,  or  governed 
by  a  schismatic  spirit,  can  be  meant. — B,  In  fly  name. 
The  original  slightly  varies  from  the  phrase  so  rendered 
in  John  14  :  13,  14;  16:  24,  and  might  be  rendered: 
unto  My  name."  Possibly  there  is  an  allusion  to  those 
passages  (mentioned  in  6  :  9,  E.),  in  which  the  name  of 
God  indicates  His  divine  presence.  This  verse,  accord- 
ingly, very  impressively  represents  these  two  or  three 
believers  as  enjoying  at  all  times  the  inestimable  privilege 
of  coming  nnto  the  very  presence  of  the  Lord.  That 
divine  presence  is  also  found  by  the  individual  in  the 
closet,  where  the  Saviour  specially  commands  us  to  seek  it 
when  we  pray  (6  :  6). — C  There  am,  etc.=as  they,  whose 
hearts  are  purified  by  faith  (Acts  15:9;  2  Pet.  i  :  4),  are 
"made  perfect  in  one  "  (John  17  :  20-23),  I  am  therefore 
in  them,  directing  them   in  their  consultations  (ver.    19), 


58  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.         [xviii.  21,  22. 

teaching  them  by  my  Spirit  how,  and  for  what,  they  ought 
to  pray  (Rom.  8  :  26),  and  I  will  "  fulfil  all  their  petitions  " 
(Ps.  20  :  5),  for  I  myself  am  with  them.  Comp.  the 
phrase  :  God,  Christ,  witJi  His  people,  (Matt.  28  :  20  ;  John 
3:2;  Acts  18  :  10  ;  2  Tim.  4  :  17).  It  is  Jesus  of  Nazareth 
who  speaks  here ;  but  it  is  only  divine  power  which  can 
fulfil  such  a  promise.  Consequently,  by  virtue  of  the  in- 
separable union  of  the  divine  and  the  human  nature  in 
Christ,  the  attributes  of  the  former  are  also  now  by  com- 
munication in  possession  of  the  latter,  for  the  Person  of 
Christ  is  one  only. 

*■  Then  came  Peter  and  said  to  him,  Lord,  how  oft  shall  my  brother 
sin  against  me,  and  I  forgive  him  ?  until  seven  times  ? 

Peter  ventures  to  refer  to  a  point  which  he  appears  to 
think  that  the  Lord  had  omitted  to  explain  in  ver.  15,  as 
well  as  in  5  :  44  ;  6  :  14,  15.  The  Jewish  teachers  held 
very  probably  at  that  time  already  the  doctrine  which 
was  afterwards  introduced  into  their  writings,  that  a  man 
was  not  required  to  extend  forgiveness  to  an  offender 
who  repeated  the  offence  more  than  three  times.  Does 
his  Master — Peter  questions,  sanction  that  rule,  or  ought 
the  act  of  forgiving  to  be  repeated  more  frequently, 
until,  for  instance,  the  number  seven  had  been  reached, 
and  only  afterwards  be  succeeded  by  retaliation  ?  (The 
number  seven,  after  Gen.  2  :  2,  is  very  frequently  intro- 
duced in  the  laws  of  Moses,  in  connection  with  the  sacred 
times,  the  sacrifices,  purifications,  etc.;  hence  it  was 
invested  with  a  religious  character  (comp.  25  :  i,  C). 
This  fact  possibly  led  to  the  choice  of  the  seven  men  in 
Acts  6  :  3). 

^-  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  I  say  not  unto  thee,  until  seven  times  :  but,  until 
seventy  times  seven. 

The  whole  character  of  the  language  in  this  verse 
clearly  shows  the  sense  to  be,  that  Christian  love  does 


XVIII.  23-]  CHAPTER  XVIII.  59 

not  jealously  count,  weigh  or  measure  its  good  deeds,  but 
flows  on  in  a  full  stream,  placing  no  limit  to  its  action. 
In  all  cases  the  offender  has  a  claim  on  the  indulgence 
and  forgiveness  of  the  believer  (Eph.  4  :  32  ;  Rom.  12:9; 
Deut.  32  :  36),  even  if  there  is,  according  to  ver.  17,  a 
limit  beyond  which  the  Church  cannot  consistently  and 
safely  retain  him  in  her  communion.  When  Lamech 
arrogantly  and  impiously  spoke  of  being  "  avenged 
seventy  and  sevenfold  "  (Gen.  4  :  24),  he  meant,  by  the 
accumulation  of  the  numbers,  his  thirst  for  revenge  could 
never  be  appeased.  To  this  ungodly  spirit  the  Saviour 
opposes  the  spirit  of  His  religion  ;  by  a  similar  repetition 
of  the  number  seven  (seven,  multiplied  by  seventy)  he 
indicates  that  the  limit  can  never  be  reached  beyond 
which  wrath  and  vengeance  become  lawful.  When  He 
repeats  the  injunction  in  Luke  17:4,  the  number  sevoi 
seems  to  be  used  proverbially  as  a  designation  of  an 
indefinite  but  very  large  number  of  occasions,  as  in  the 
passages  mentioned  in  12  :  43-45,  A.).  The  sense  then 
is  :  Multiply  the  number  which  thou  hast  specified  by  ten 
times  the  amount,  and  then  multiply  again,  without  com- 
ing to  an  end. 

^^  Therefore  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven  likened  unto  a  certain  king,  which 
would  make  a  reckoning  with  his  servants. 

A.  Therefore=In  this  respect,  or,  in  reference  to  the 
reasons  of  the  law  enjoining  unlimited  forgiveness.  The 
Lord  enforces  the  lesson  taught  here  (and  in  6  :  14,  15) 
by  pronouncing  the  parable  of  the  Unmerciful  Servant  ; 
it  is  intended  to  show,  in  view  of  the  divine  spirit  of  for- 
giving love,  on  the  one  hand,  the  folly  and  wickedness  of 
the  man  who  yields  to  an  unforgiving  spirit,  and,  on  the 
other,  the  destruction  to  which  that  spirit  necessarily 
leads  (see  below,  ver.  35).  It  teaches,  further  (ver.  24,  25), 
that  no  sinner  can  offer  from  his  own  resources  (wisdom. 


6o  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xviii.  24. 

strength,  etc.)  a  sufficient  atonement  to  Him  who  is 
"  King  for  ever  and  ever"  (Ps.  10  :  16),  and  impresses  the 
lesson,  that,  as  our  continued  enjoyment  of  Hfe  and 
Hberty  proceeds  from  grace  alone,  it  would  be  an  un- 
pardonable act  to  avail  ourselves  of  our  present  privileges 
for  the  purpose  of  indulging  in  malice  and  revenge. — B. 
The  kingdom  .  .  .  unto=the  divine  course  of  action,  as 
revealed  in  the  work  of  the  Messiah,  and  the  acts  ex- 
pected of  men,  resemble  the  following  circumstances—^ 
the  course  pursued  by  a  certain  king,  etc.  (comp.  13  :  24, 
B.).  The  willingness  of  God  to  forgive  the  humble  sup- 
pliant is  here  described,  as  an  example  for  man.  "  The 
civil  government,  which  ought  to  punish  criminals  (Rom. 
13  :  3,  4)  for  the  sake  of  public  order  and  safety,  is  not 
here  intended  ;  in  the  Christian  Church  on  earth,  on  the 
contrary,  the  law  of  forgiveness  and  mercy  must  always 
prevail." — Luther. — C.  Take  account=investigate  the 
amount  which  the  servants  respectively  owed  (comp. 
25  :  19).  Every  human  being  owes  a  heavy  debt  to 
divine  justice  (comp.  6:12,  A.  B.).  The  law  of  God, 
revealed  in  His  word,  daily  takes  account  of  us,  and 
teaches  us  to  consider  the  amount  of  our  debt  to  Him." 
— Luther. — D.  His  servants^the  officers  of  state 
(stewards,  treasurers,  etc.),  like  those  mentioned  in  Gen. 
41  •  37,  38  ;  I  Sam.  i8  :  22  ;  2  Sam.  20  :  24;  i  Kings 
4:6;  9:  22;  18:3;  2  Kings  18:18;  I  Chron.  27  :  25 
(comp.  14  :  2,  A.).  If  the  most  eminent  of  God's  crea- 
tures must  expect  to  "give  account  to  Him  that  is  ready 
to  judge  the  quick  (^the  living)  and  the  dead  "  (i  Pet. 
4  :  5),  no  individual  can  hope  to  escape.  No  mountains 
nor  hills  (Luke  23  :  30;  Hos.  10  :  8  ;  Isai.  2  :  19)  can  hide 
us  from  "  Him  with  whom  we  have  to  do  "  (Heb.  4  :  13). 

^^  And  when  he  had  begun  to  reckon,  one  was  brought  unto  him,  which 
owed  him  ten  thousand  talents. 


xviii.  25.]  CHAPTER  XVIII.  61 

A.  One  .  .  .  him.  Christ  here  deems  one  case  to  be 
sufficient  for  the  purpose  of  showing  the  deep  guilt  of 
man,  from  which  he  cannot  cleanse  himself  by  any  human 
means. — B.  Ten  .  .  .  talents.  There  is  some  uncertainty 
respecting  the  actual  amount  of  this  sum  of  money, 
when  stated  in  terms  belonging  to  modern  currency. 
The  Hebrezv  talent  mentioned  in  Exod.  38  :  24,  ff.,  and 
elsewhere,  was  equivalent  to  3,000  shekels  (for  which  see 
above,  17  :  24,  B.),  estimated  by  some  to  be  equal  to 
=$1680.  The  Attic  or  Greek  talent  of  silver  is  valued  at 
nearly  $1000  (see  25  :  15,  A.).  Others  assign  a  still  higher 
value  to  it.  Among  the  ancient  Hebrews,  before  coined 
money  was  known,  the  precious  metals  circulated  accord- 
ing to  their  weight ;  hence  we  read  of  talents  of  gold 
(2  Sam.  12  :  30)  and  of  silver  (2  Kings  5  :  23).  The 
whole  amount  of  the  talents  mentioned  in  the  text,  if 
they  were  of  silver,  must,  according  to  the  lowest  cal- 
culation have  been  between  ten  and  fifteen  millions  of 
dollars  ;  if  talents  of  gold  were  understood,  the  amount 
would  be  enormously  increased.  The  Greeks  and  Hebrews 
had  no  single  or  uncompounded  words  which,  like  the 
English  word  million,  expressed  more  than  10,000.  The 
former  frequently  used  the  word  here  found  in  the 
original,  not  only  for  ten  thousand,  but  also  in  order  to 
designate  a  number  that  was  indefinitely  large,  like  the 
word  myriad,  ^\\\c\\  is  derived  from  it  (comp.  the  Hebrew 
usage  in  Deut.  33  :  2,  17  ;  Ps.  3  :  6,  and  Dan.  7  :  10;  Ps. 
68  :  17).  The  Lord  evidently  intends,  in  the  case  of  the 
treasurer  of  a  king  who  is  a  defaulter,  to  specify  a  sum  of 
money  too  vast  in  amount  to  be  ever  paid  by  an  individ- 
ual. Man  cannot  "  answer  God  one  of  a  thousand"  (Job 
9  :  3).  "  Who  can  understand  his  errors?  "  (Ps.  19  :  I2. 
See  Rom.  3  :  19). 

-^  But  forasmuch  as  he  had  not  wherewith  to  pay,  his  lord  commanded 


62  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xviii.  26 

him  to  be  sold,  and  his  wife,  and  children,  and  all  that  he  had,  and  payment 
to  be  made. 

A.  Had  not=wherewith  to  pay,  had  no  means  to  pay. 
The  law  conferred  many  advantages  on  the  Jew  (Rom.  3  : 
I,  2,  20),  but  it  could  not  impart  righteousness  to  man 
(Rom.  8  :  3). — B.  His  lord  .  .  .  had=The  Jews  retained 
the  oriental  practice  of  selling  a  debtor  and  the  members 
of  his  family  as  bond-servants,  when  the  debt  was  not 
paid  (2  Kings  4  ;  i  ;  Nehem.  5:5);  but  by  a  merciful 
provision  of  the  divine  law,  such  bondage  invariably  ceased 
on  the  arrival  of  the  year  of  jubilee  (Lev.  25  :  39-55  ;  in 
Deut.  15  ;  12)  the  seventh  year  was  fixed  as  the  limit  of 
bondage. — C.  And  payment,  etc.  The  Lord  historically 
introduces  the  well-known  practice,  for  the  purpose  of 
showing  that  even  as  the  sale  of  a  whole  family  with  all 
its  goods  could  never  produce  a  sum  equivalent  to  the  one 
mentioned  above,  so  man  can  never  by  any  works  or 
sacrifices  or  sufferings  sufifiiciently  atone  to  God  for  his 
grievous  sins  (see  Rom.  6 :  23).  If,  therefore,  divine 
justice  rigidly  exacted  payment  from  the  sinner  himself, 
and  a  divine  Redeemer  had  not  appeared  (Tit.  3  :  4,  5  ;  i 
Pet.  I  :  18),  no  way  of  salvation  would  be  open  to  man 
(Acts  4  :  12).  "  Here  lies  one  of  the  dangers  of  popery, 
that  it  holds  a  doctrine  according  to  which  men  can  free 
themselves  from  their  guilt  by  their  own  merits  and  works 
of  satisfaction  ;  whereas,  the  only  way  to  obtain  forgive- 
ness of  sin  is — to  look  to  Christ  in  penitence  and  faith, 
and,  with  the  publican,  to  pray  :  God  be  merciful  to  me 
a  sinner.     (Luke  18  :  13)." — LuTHER. 

^^  The  servant  therefore  fell  down,  and  worshipped  him,  saying,  Lord, 
have  patience  with  me,  and  I  will  pay  thee  all. 

A.  The  servant  .  .  .  worshipped  Him=besought  Him, 
as  in  the  margin  of  the  English  Bible  ;  WX..  prostrated  him- 
self (see  3  :  2,  D). — B.     Have  patience,  etc.-=grant    me 


XVIII.  27-]  '  CHAPTER  XVIII.  63 

more  time.  Even  if  this  servant  had  the  ivill  to  pay  the 
immense  amount,  whence  would  he  obtain  the  means  ? 
If  the  strictest  obedience  of  man  to  the  divine  will  is  only 
a  partial  discharge  of  a  debt  never  fully  paid  and  can- 
celled, whence  are  our  means  to  be  derived  for  satisfying 
divine  justice,  in  view  of  our  many  acts  of  disobedience  ? 
(Comp.  Luke  17  :  10).  Obedience  in  one  case,  while  it 
entitles  no  man  to  a  reward,  and  simply  preserves  from 
punishment,  does  not  even  before  a  human  tribunal  make 
amends  for  an  act  of  disobedience  in  another  case. 

^'  And  the  Lord  of  that  servant,  being  moved  with  compassion,  released 
him,  and  forgave  him  the  debt. 

A.  Moved  with  compassion  ;  the  Hebrew  phrase  ren- 
dered in  Gen.  43  :  30,  "  his  bowels  did  yearn,"  indicates 
very  strong  and  tender  emotions,  and  hence  often  described 
the  depth  and  power  of  divine  pity  and  compassion 
(Deut.  13  :  17  ;  Ps.  25  :  6  ;  40  :  11).  The  usage  of  the 
corresponding  Greek  word  is  the  same  here  and  elsewhere 
in  the  N.  T.  (Matt.  9  :  36  ;  14  :  14;  15  :  22  ;  18  :  27  ;  20  : 
34;  Phil.  1:8;  2:1).  The  tenderness  and  greatness  of 
divine  pity  or  the  riches  of  God's  goodness  (Rom.  2  :  4), 
are  here  designed  to  be  set  forth,  which  resulted  in  the 
mission  of  a  Saviour  (John  3  :  16).  Without  His  redeem- 
ing work  our  salvation  would  have  been  an  event  incon- 
sistent with  the  divine  character,  and  therefore  impossi- 
ble (Rom.  3  :  23-26). — B.  Loosed  him=released  him  from 
the  hands  of  the  officers  of  justice  (ver.  25,  30),  who  had 
already  seized  him  as  a  dishonest  debtor.  Although  the 
sentence  of  death,  eternal  death,  is  not  yet  executed 
(Eccl.  8  :  11),  it  is  already  pronounced  (Rom.  i  :  18  ;  John 
3  :  36),  and  will  be  executed  in  our  case,  if  we  are  not 
"  quickened  "  (Eph.  2:1,  5)  in  Christ,  who  alone  can 
"  blot  out  the  handwriting  of  ordinances  that  was  against 
us  "  (Col.  2:13,  14). — C.     Forgave  the  A&ht^r emitted  it. 


64  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xviii.  28. 

as  the  same  word  is  rendered  in  John  20  :  23,  or  cancelled 
it.  A  different  Greek  word  in  Luke  7  :  42,  similarly 
translated,  indicates  a  similar  gracious  act  (Comp,  the 
phrase  :  "  blotting  out  sins,"  Isai,  44  :  22  ;  Acts  3  :  19). 
"  When  the  trembling  sinner  fears  that  he  is  too  guilty 
to  be  forgiven,  let  him  in  faith  remember  that  the  power 
and  love  of  God  are  infinite,  and  that  the  believer  is  now 
bought  and  redeemed  by  Christ,  and  let  him  be  comforted 
by  these  words.  The  law  condemns  and  '  worketh 
wrath'  (Rom.  4:  15  and  ch.  7),  but  grace  in  Christ  for- 
gives."— Luther.  At  this  point,  the  parable,  which 
illustrated  forgiving  love  in  its  actual  results,  does  not 
introduce  the  whole  system  of  the  Christian  faith,  such 
as  the  Atonement,  etc.  Neither  does  it  intend  to  describe 
the  divine  attributes  precisely  ;  no  changes  of  opinion  and 
purpose  such  as  this  king  exhibits  occur  in  the  immu- 
table God  (Rom.  1 1  :  29). 

^^  But  that  servant  went  out,  and  found  one  of  his  fellowservants,  which 
owed  him  a  hundred  pence  :  and  he  laid  hold  on  him,  and  took  him  by  the 
throat,  saying.  Pay  what  thou  owest. 

A.  But  .  .  .  fellow-servants.  The  Lord  here  recog- 
nizes the  fact  that  man  may  at  times  have  reason  to  com- 
plain of  wrongs  done  to  him  by  his  fellow-man,  such 
offences  being  viewed  as  "debts"  (see  6  :  12,  A.).  Still, 
no  injury  which  can  possibly  be  inflicted  on  us  by  another, 
equals  in  enormity  the  guilt  which  we  have  contracted 
by  our  own  sins  against  God,  as  the  comparatively  small 
debt  now  specified,  is  intended  to  teach. — B.  A  hundred 
pence=about  fourteen  dollars  in  our  currency  (see  17  : 
24,  B.).  The  Lord  uses  round  numbers,  or,  in  modern 
language,  compares  tens  and  millions,  when  He  designs  to 
teach  the  lesson  just  stated  under  A. — C  Laid  hands, 
etc.  Compare  this  violent  and  cruel  conduct  (the  stern- 
ness, throttling,   etc.),  with    the  king's  compassion    and 


XVI 1 1.  29-3 1 .]  CHA  P  TER  X I '///.  65 

bounty  (ver.  27).  The  contrast  places  the  selfishness  and 
wickedness  of  an  unforgiving  spirit  in  a  very  strong  light. 
Even  independently  of  a  view  of  the  divine  mercy,  the 
apostle  Paul  admonishes  us  that  the  consciousness  of  our 
own  imperfections  and  sins  should  teach  us  to  deal  gently 
with  others  (Tit.  3  :  2,  3  ;  Gal.  6  :  i). 

^'  So  his  fellow  servant  fell  down  and  besought  him,  saying,  Have  patience 
with  me,  and  I  will  pay  Thee. 

This  debtor,  who  does  not  deny  his  indebtedness,  re- 
presents the  penitent  brother  who  has  injured  us.  In 
view  of  the  small  amount  of  the  debt,  which  a  reasonable 
indulgence  on  the  part  of  the  creditor  would  have  enabled 
the  debtor  to  pay  (indicating  the  comparatively  slight  in- 
jury which  others  can  ever  do  to  us),  no  excuse  remains 
for  feelings  or  acts  that  betray  an  unforgiving  or  avenge- 
ful spirit. 

^°  And  he  would  not :  but  went  and  cast  him  into  prison,  till  he  should 
pay  that  which  was  due. 

Here  are  revealed  the  wisdom  and  justice  of  God  in 
withholding  forgiveness  from  the  unpenitent  and  unbe- 
lieving. What  impression  had  the  king's  grace  made  on 
the  first  servant  ?  What  honor  would  God  gain,  or  what 
advantage  would  the  sinner  himself  derive,  if  "  faith,  which 
worketh  by  love  "  (Gal.  5  :  6),  were  not  the  condition  on 
which  God  will  grant  pardon  ?  A  pardoned  but  impeni- 
tent sinner  would  then  exhibit  only  increased  arrogance 
and  impiety.  (Imprisonment,  as  a  punishment  for  debt 
or  for  crime,  was  not  recognized  by  the  laws  of  Moses, 
but  had  been  introduced  among  the  Jews  after  the  Baby- 
lonish Captivity,  Ezra  7  :  26  ;  comp.  5:25,  B.). 

^'  So  when  his  fellowservants  saw  what  was  done,  they  were  exceeding 
sorry,  and  came  and  told  unto  their  lord  all  that  was  done. 

This  portion  of  the  parable,  which  exhibits  the  grief  of 

believers  when  one   of  their  number  betrays  an   unholy 

5 


66  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.       [xviii.  32,  33 

spirit,  as  well  as  the  connection  of  the  whole  (ver.  15) 
indicates  that  the  Lord  here  refers  chiefly  to  the  conduct 
of  members  of  his  church  (comp.  Eph.  4  :  32) — "  of  the 
househould  of  God  "  (Eph.  2  :  19).  On  the  other  occasions 
all  men  are  declared  to  be  objects  of  forgiving  love  (6  :  14, 
1 5),  even  as  "  the  Lord  over  all  "  died  for  all  (Rom.  10  :  12; 
1 1  :  32  ;  2  Cor.  5:14;  i  Tim.  2:6;  Hebr.  2  :  9 ;  8  :  1 1). 
While  the  earthly  king  needs  information,  the  all-seeing 
God  knows  all  the  sin  of  man's  heart  and  life,  without 
the  intervention  of  men  or  angels.  When,  therefore, 
*'  prayer  was  made  without  ceasing  of  (^by)  the  church 
unto  God  "  for  the  persecuted  apostle  Peter  (Acts  12:5), 
or  is  now  made  in  any  case,  believers  do  not  design  to 
communicate  information  to  God,  but  to  entreat  Him  to 
grant  relief,  as  well  as  to  obtain  new  strength  and  faith 
themselves. 

3^  Then  his  lord  called  him  unto  him,  and  saith  to  him,  Thou  wicked 
servant,  I  forgave  thee  all  that  debt,  because  thou  besoughtest  me : 

Men  may  stifle  the  voice  of  conscience  and  spurn  the 
authority  of  God's  word,  but  such  evasions  will  not  in 
the  end  shield  them  from  divine  wrath.  "  Can  any  hide 
himself  in  secret  places,  that  I  shall  not  see  him  ?  saith 
the  Lord."  (Jercm.  23:24;  comp.  Ps.  139:  1-12). — 
Thou  wicked,  etc.=wicked,  as  thy  unforgiving  spirit, 
which  my  mercy  did  not  move,  proves  that  to  be.  The 
language  shows  that  the  divine  forgiveness  of  sins  is  con- 
ditional, that  is,  it  does  not  take  effect  without  corre- 
sponding sentiments,  and  a  corresponding  course  of  con- 
duct on  the  part  of  man  ;  (see  6  :  14,  15). 

^^  Shouldest  not  thou  also  have  had  mercy  on  thy  fellowservant,  even  as 
I  had  mercy  on  thee  ? 

"And  he  was  speechless"  (Mark  22  :  12).  If  the  im- 
penitent should  attempt  to  justify  themselves  on  the  day 
of  judgment  (comp.  25  :  44),  they   will  be  judged   out  of 


XVIII.  34]  CHAPTER  XVIII.  67 

their  own  mouth  (Luke  19  :  22),  and  proved  to  be  "  without 
excuse "  (Rom.  i  :  20).  "  Behold,  it  is  written  before 
me  "  (Isai.  65  :  6,  and  comp.  Mai.  3:16;   Rev.  20  :  12). 

^■*  And  his  lord  was  wroth,  and  deUvered  him  to  the  tormentors,  till  he 
should  pay  all  that  was  due. 

A,  Wroth=indignant,  angry,  as  the  word  is  rendered 
in  Luke  14  :  21  ;  see  2  :  16,  B.  The  king's  wrath  is  an 
image  of  the  divine  sentence  of  condemnation. — B.  Tor= 
mentors.  The  word  probably  designates  the  jailer  and 
his  assistants,  who,  according  to  the  Roman  law,  bound 
insolvent  debtors  with  fetters  and  cords,  and  sometimes 
secured  prisoners  by  making  their  "  feet  fast  in  the 
stocks  "  (Acts  16  :  24).  The  sufferings  of  those  who  were 
exposed  to  the  rapacity  and  cruelty  of  a  Roman  jailer 
(chains,  foul  air,  dampness,  darkness,  scourging,  hunger, 
vermin,  etc.),  were  proverbially  not  less  than  actual  tor- 
ture. "  Eternal  damnation  "  (ver.  8  ;  Mark  3  :  29.)  will 
consist  not  simply  in  the  exclusion  from  heaven,  but  also 
in  positive  punishments  (25  :  46). — C,  Till  he  should,  etc. 
As  it  was  obvious  that  this  cruel  servant  never  could  pay 
"all"  that  he  owed  (ver.  24.  B.),  the  sentence  virtually 
subjected  him  to  perpetual  imprisonment — an  image  of 
the  endless  punishments  of  the  wicked;  (25  :  46  ;  see 
above,  5  :  26,  and  comp.  James  2:13).  The  "  great  gulf  " 
which  separates  the  lost  in  the  eternal  world  from  heaven, 
can  never  be  passed  (Luke  16  :  26).  The  problem  which 
reflecting  men  in  all  ages  felt  unable  to  solve  by  human 
wisdom  was  :  "  How  can  man  be  justified  with  God  ?  "  (Job 
25  :  4).  No  man  could  open  the  sealed  book  in  which 
that  deep  mystery  was  explained  (Rev.  5  :  2,  ff.),  until  the 
Lamb  of  God  appeared,  took  away  the  sin  of  the  world 
(John  1 1  :  29),  and  made  an  atonement  (Rom.  5  :  11).  God 
was  revealed  as  both  "just  and  the  justifier  of  him  which 
believeth  in  Jesus  "  (3  :  26). 


68  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xviii.  35, 

^5  So  shall  also  my  heavenly  Father  do  unto  you,  if  ye  forgive  not  every 
one  his  brother  from  your  hearts. 

A.  So  likewise ;  the  whole  scope  or  purpose  of  the 
parable,  or  the  lesson  which  it  is  intended  to  convey,  is 
stated  here  ;  the  Saviour  teaches  that  he  who  does  not 
"  from  his  heart  "  forgive  an  offending  brother,  is  destitute 
of  love ;  that  want  of  love  betrays  an  unrenewed,  un- 
believing heart  ;  such  an  impenitent  sinner,  inasmuch  as 
he  rejects  the  only  means  of  salvation  which  are  accessible, 
will  necessarily  be  lost  forever  (see  Rom.  2  ;  3-9.) — B. 
From  your  hearts.  A  similar  phrase  occurs  in  22  :  37  ; 
Rom.  6  :  17  ;  it  corresponds  to  the  English  word  heartily, 
in  the  sense  of  sincerely,  promptly,  with  good  will. — C. 
Trespasses  (see  6:12,  A). — "  God  has  given  us  sufficient 
evidences  that  our  sins  shall  be  forgiven,  namely,  the 
word  of  the  Gospel,  Baptism,  the  Lord's  Supper,  and  the 
Holy  Spirit,  in  our  hearts.  But  it  now  becomes  neces- 
sary for  us  to  give  evidence  that  we  have  truly  and  actu- 
ally received  the  forgiveness  of  our  sins.  That  evidence 
is  furnished  by  us  when  every  one  of  us  from  his  heart 
forgives  his  brother's  trespasses." — Luther. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

1  And  it  came  to  pass  when  Jesus  had  finished  these  words,  he  departed 
from  GaUlee,  and  came  into  the  borders  of  Judsa  beyond  Jordan. 

A.  He  departed=commencing  His  last  journey  from 
Galilee  to  Jerusalem  (20  :  17  ;  21  :  i),  where  death 
awaited  Him.  Matthew  appears  to  have  selected  such 
incidents  and  discourses  connected  with  this  journey,  as 
illustrate  the  true  character  of  the  Christian,  of  which  the 
former  chapter  had  also  treated. — These  words  (comp. 
26  :  i). — B.  Beyond  Jordan=He  did  not,  as  on  a  former 
occasion,  when  He  travelled  in  an  opposite  direction 
(John  4  :  3,  4),  take  the  direct  road  leading  through 
Samaria,  but  passed  over  to  the  eastern  side  of  the  Jor- 
dan, and  travelled  through  Peraea  ;  this  region  was 
separated  by  the  river  from  Judea. — Into  the  coasts^= 
remaining  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Jordan. 

^  And  great  multitudes  followed  him  :  and  he  healed  them  there. 

Such  was  frequently  the  case  (comp.  4  :  25  ;  8  :  i  ; 
12  :  15). 

'  Arid  there  came  unto  him  Pharisees,  tempting  him,  and  saying  :  Is  it 
lawful yir  a  man  to  put  away  his  wife  for  every  cause .'' 

A.  Pharisees — B.  Tempting  Him=with  an  evil  de- 
sign, that  they  might  entangle  Him,  as  in  22  :  15.  They 
knew  that  He  had  established  principles  respecting 
divorces  (5  :  31,  32),  which,  if  uttered  by  Him  publicly  in 
Peraea,  might,  as  they  hoped,  induce  the  ruler  of  that 
country,   Herod   Antipas,  to  slay   Him,   as   he   had   pre- 

69 


70  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xix.  4,  5. 

viously  slain  John  the  Baptist  (14  :  i-io)  ;  for  tempt  (see 
4:1,  D.). — C.  Is  it  lawful,  &c,=Does  the  law  of  Moses, 
when  properly  interpreted,  permit  or  not  permit  a  man, 
etc.  ?  One  party  of  the  Jews,  loosely  interpreting  Deut. 
24  :  I,  maintained  that  even  a  trivial  cause,  such  as  a 
mere  caprice,  would  justify  a  man  who  repudiated  his 
lawful  wife  ;  another,  and  the  stricter  party  held  that 
such  an  act  could  be  justified  only  by  very  gross  offences 
and  immoralities  on  the  part  of  the  wife.  The  former 
party  relied  on  the  authority  of  Hillel,  the  latter  on  that 
of  Shammai,  two  Jewish  teachers  of  great  distinction. 
Rabbi  Hillel,  who  died  ten  years  after  the  birth  of  Christ, 
was  the  grandfather  of  Paul's  teacher  Gamaliel  (Acts 
22  :  3).  The  Lord  had  decided  the  question  in  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount  (see  above,  5:31,  32),  but  here 
assigns  certain  reasons  which  explain  that  decision  ;  He 
rejects  the  authority  of  all  mere  human  teachers,  and  at 
once  appeals  to  the  written  Word. 

*  And  he  answered  and  said  ^  Have  ye  not  read,  that  he  which  made 
them  from  the  beginning  made  them  male  and  female  ? 

The  passage  quoted  occurs  in  Gen.  i  :  ij,  28.  The 
sense  here  is  :  Why  do  ye  ask?  Did  not  the  Creator 
distinctly  teach  by  the  creation  of  a  single  pair,  namely, 
one  man  and  one  woman,  and  by  the  nature  of  the  mar- 
riage-blessing which  He  bestowed  at  the  time,  that  a 
permanent  union  of  the  two  individuals,  during  the  whole 
of  their  natural  life,  was  intended,  serving  as  an  example 
for  all  succeeding  cases  of  marriage  ? — flale  and  female  ; 
the  Greek  indicates  a  single  individual  of  each  sex. 

*  And  said,  For  this  cause  shall  a  man  leave  his  father  and  mother,  and 
shall  cleave  to  his  wife :  and  the  twain  shall  become  one  flesh  ? 

These  words  were  spoken   by   Adam   (Gen.  2  :  24)  in 

allusion  to  the  divine  act  of   forming  the  first  woman  of 

a  portion  of  Adam's  body.     The  Saviour  quoted  them  as 


XIX.  6,  7]  CHAPTER  XIX.  71 

words  spoken  by  the  Creator,  for  the  reason  that  Adam, 
who  had  at  that  time  no  knowledi^e  of  his  own  respecting 
the  divine  will  and  the  law  of  marriage,  repeats  these 
words  only  after  God  had  first  pronounced  them.  The 
sense  is  :  The  marriage  tie  shall  be  firm  and  indis- 
soluble, as  long  as  both  parties  live  ;  even  the  tie  of 
nature  existing  between  parents  and  children,  which  we 
instinctively  regard  as  sacred,  shall  sooner  be  ruptured 
than  the  sacred  tie  which  unites  man  and  wife.  Hence 
these  two  (twain,  5  :  41,  B.),  shall  constitute  in  this 
respect  only  one  person  in  the  eyes  of  God  (comp.,  Eph. 
5  :  28-31. 

^  So  that  they  are  no  more  twain,  but  one  flesh.  What  therefore  God 
hath  joined  together,  let  no  man  put  asunder. 

Since   God    has   declared   that   the  husband  and    wife 

shall  remain   inseparably   united,  let   not    men,   who  are 

mere   creatures  of    the    dust,  arrogantly   and    impiously 

annul  such  a  union  either  directly  or  indirectly  by  human 

laws.     The  words  embody  the  general   principle  : — Let 

no  man   in  any   case  contravene  a   divine    appointment 

(comp.  Acts   10  :    15;   Numb.  23  :  8). — Joined   together, 

lit.  yoked  togctJicr=\o\x\&di   as  one   pair  having  the  same 

duties  and  interests. 

^  They  say  unto  liim,  Why  then  did  Moses  command  to  give  a  bill  of 
divorcement,  and  to  put  her  away  .^ 

(See  5  :  31,  B.).  Moses  did  not  recommend,  much  less 
did  he  coinuiand  divorces  as  these  Pharisees  appear  to 
say,  implying  that  either  Christ  disputed  the  authority 
of  the  revered  lawgiver,  or  else  that  Moses  must  have 
erred,  which  none  could  assert.  Moses  simply  placed 
restrictions  by  this  command  on  the  custom  of  divorcing, 
by  requiring  certain  writings,  during  the  preparation  of 
which  time  would  be  won  for  consultation  and  the 
reconciliation  of   the  parties.       Thus,    too,    the    ancient 


72  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xix.  8-10. 

Oriental  usages  connected  with  vows  (Deut.  23  :  21,  22) 
and  the  "  revenger  of  blood  "  (Numb.  ch.  35  ;  Deut.  4  : 
41,  ff.),  were  tolerated  by  Moses,  but  new  and  definite 
limits  and  restrictions  were  prescribed.  Things  that  are 
lawful  (:=allowed  by  the  law),  are  not  necessarily  expe- 
dient or  edifying  (i  Cor.  6  :  12;   10  :  23). 

*  He  saith  unto  them,  Moses  for  your  hardness  of  heart  suffered  you  to 
put  away  your  wives  :  but  from  the  beginning  it  hath  not  been  so. 

A.  Moses  .  .  .  hearts  (see  5  ;  31,  B.). — B.  But  from 
the  beginning=of  the  creation  (10  :  6),  when  Adam  and 
Eve  were  created.  The  first  man  who  departed  from  the 
divine  order  by  introducing  polygamy  was  the  wicked 
Lamech,  a  murderer,  and  the  descendant  of  the  mur- 
derer Cain  (Gen.  4:18,  23). 

9  And  I  say  unto  you,  Whosoever  shall  put  away  his  wife,  except  for  for- 
nication, and  shall  marry  another,  committeth  adultery  :  and  he  that  mar- 
rieth  her  when  she  is  put  away  committeth  adultery. 

The  Lord  repeats  the  declaration  which  He  had  already 
made  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  (5  :  32).  It  appears 
from  Mark  10  :  10,  that  at  this  point  the  narrative  of 
Matthew  introduces  the  substance  of  a  private  conversa- 
tion of  the  Lord  with  the  disciples. 

*°  The  disciples  say  unto  him,  If  the  case  of  the  man  is  so  with  his  wife, 
it  is  not  expedient  to  marry- 

A.  His  disciples  .  .  .  him  =  after  returning  to  the 
house,  when  they  were  alone  with  the  Lord  (Mark  10  : 
10).  At  a  later  period  the  Corinthians  asked  counsel  of 
Paul  respecting  the  subject  of  marriage  (i  Cor.  7  :  i). 
"  The  present  distress  "  mentioned  in  ver.  26,  28,  29,  as 
well  as  the  other  circumstances  to  which  he  alludes  in  the 
same  chapter,  refer  to  the  trials  of  Christians  in  his  day, 
their  expulsion  by  persecutors  from  their  homes,  their 
poverty,  the  violent  rending  asunder  of  the  family  circle, 
etc.     He  does  not  represent  celibacy  as  a  duty  of  religion, 


xrx.  II.]  CHAPTER  XIX.  73 

neither  does  he  even  remotely  imply  that  it  is  a  more 
holy  state  than  that  of  marriage ;  on  the  contrary,  he 
regards  the  latter  as  a  divinely  instituted  state,  the  ties 
of  which  are  sacred  and  "honorable  in  all"  (Hebr.  13  : 
4).  Accordingly,  several  of  the  other  apostles  were  ac- 
companied by  their  wives  in  their  missionary  journeys 
(i  Cor.  9  :  5).  But  Paul  himself  remained  unmarried, 
and  in  the  distressing  circumstances  of  the  times,  and  in 
view  of  his  peculiar  duties,  was,  in  consequence  of  his 
freedom  from  family  ties,  more  free  in  his  peculiar  apos- 
tolic work.  The  Lord  on  the  present  occasion  gives 
liberty  to  each  individual  to  enter  the  married  state  or 
to  refrain,  requiring  him,  however,  in  either  case,  to  act 
conscientiously  and  in  the  fear  of  God. — B,  If  the  case. 
The  word  here  translated  case  is  rendered  cause  in  ver.  3, 
and  accusation  in  27  :  37  ;  Acts  25  :  18.  The  sense  is  : 
If  only  such  a  cause,  accusation  or  charge  (that  is,  the 
guilt  contracted  in  the  eyes  of  God  by  lewdness)  can 
justify  a  man  in  divorcing  his  wife,  then,  etc. — C.  It  is 
not  expedient.  The  disciples  indirectly  ask  the  question  : 
What  course  shall  zve  pursue  ?  The  Lord  replies  in  the 
next  verses  that  marriage  of  itself,  like  celibacy,  neither 
fits  nor  unfits  an  individual  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
He  teaches  that  marriage,  like  personal  liberty  or  bond- 
age (Matt.  22  :  30;  I  Cor.  7  :  20,  21),  or  like  national 
distinctions  and  those  of  race  and  sex  (Gal.  3  :  28  ;  Col. 
3:11;  I  Cor.  7  :  17),  which  are  of  a  terrestrial  character, 
of  themselves  neither  facilitates  nor  impedes  any  individ- 
ual's entrance  into  the  Church  and  the  heavenly  kingdom. 
All  such  circumstances  may  promote,  and  they  may 
hinder  our  growth  in  grace,  according  to  the  spirit  and 
principles  which  influence  us. 

''  But  he  said  unto  them,  All  men  cannot  receive  this  saying,  but  they  to 
whom  it  is  given. 


74  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xix.  12. 

^QCQ\ye^coiitai7i,  as  the  same  word  is  rendered  in  John 
2:6;  21  :  25  ;  either  word  will  often  answer,  as  in  Mark 
2  :  2.  The  sense  here  is  : — receive  it  into,  or  give  place 
to  it,  with  respect  to  the  mind  and  judgment,  that  is, 
comprehend  a  truth,  and  contain  it.  The  word  translated 
saying,  here  seems  to  mean  subject  or  jnattcr  as  in  Mark 
I  :  45  ;  Acts  8:21;  15  :  6,  or  topic,  thing,  as  in  Matt.  21  : 
24 ;  Luke  i  :  4.  The  phrase :  All  men  cannot,  as  the 
use  of  the  same  Greek  negative  in  some  other  passages 
shows  (24  :  22  ;  Luke  i  :  37 ;  Rom.  3  :  20;  i  Cor.  i  :  29) 
is  probably=«^  ojic  can.  The  sense  of  the  whole  then  is: 
As  men  are  not  naturally  enlightened  and  sanctified,  they 
cannot  of  themselves  select  holy  principles  of  action,  and 
adopt  a  strictly  wise  and  holy  course  of  conduct  ;  such  grace 
is  the  gift  of  God  (i  Cor.  7  :  7).  That  such  is  the  sense, 
appears  from  the  concluding  words  of  the  following  verse, 
which  resembles  the  proverb :  He  that  hath  ears,  etc. 
(see  II  :  15). 

'^  For  there  are  eunuchs,  which  were  so  born  from  their  mother's  womb  : 
and  there  are  eunuchs,  which  were  made  eunuchs  by  men  :  and  there  are 
eunuchs,  which  made  themselves  eunuchs  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven's 
sake.     He  that  is  able  to  receive  it,  let  him  receive  it. 

A.  The  Lord  now  answers  the  indirect  question  of 
the  disciples  (ver.  10,  B.),  by  showing  that  the  state  which 
is  the  opposite  of  marriage,  namely,  celibacy,  does  not 
necessarily  possess  merit  in  the  eyes  of  God  (who  rather 
declared  that  it  was  "not  good,"  Gen.  2  :  18),  and  that 
it  does  not  invariably  facilitate  the  performance  of  the 
duties  of  religion.  The  popish  views  of  celibacy,  as  of  a 
pre-eminently  holy  state,  are  not  sanctioned  by  the  divine 
Word.  As  Shimei  was  not  literally  a  servant  of  Solomon, 
but  nevertheless,  according  to  custom,  applied  that  name 
to  himself  as  a  man  subject  to  the  king's  authority  (i 
Kings  2  :  38),  so  the  eunuchs  here  mentioned  doubtless 


XIX.  13-]  CHAPTER  XIX.  75 

receive  that  name  in  a  figurative  sense. — B.  There  are, 
etc.  Certain  mental  conditions,  such  as  those  of  idiots, 
etc.,  unfit  an  individual  for  the  duties  of  domestic  life  ; 
accordingly,  some  {^\\q  first  class),  in  consequence  of  their 
personal  condition,  exhibit  this  inaptitude.  Thus,  too, 
the  man  who  "  had  an  infirmity  thirty  and  eight  years" 
(John  5  :  5-7),  appears  to  have  been  alone  in  the  world. 
Some  (the  second  class)  encounter,  in  consequence  of 
direct  or  indirect  constraint  or  compulsion  on  the  part  of 
others,  insurmountable  obstacles  which  necessarily  pre- 
vent them  from  forming  the  ties  of  marriage.  Thus,  too, 
according  to  laws  established  in  some  cases,  soldiers  serv- 
ing in  a  monarch's  army,  prisoners,  etc.,  are  in  such  a 
situation.  A  third  class  ("  there  are  eunuchs,  etc.")  con- 
sists of  the  special  cases  of  those  who,  like  Paul  (i  Cor. 
7  :  7,  8,  26),  and  possibly  some  other  apostles,  or  like  many 
missionaries,  contract  no  ties  of  this  description,  and  es- 
tablish no  home  of  their  own,  in  order  that  they  may  be 
at  liberty  to  labor  for  the  Gospel  ("  for  the  kingdom  of 
heaven's  sake  "),  and  abide  in  any  place  without  neglect- 
ing family  duties. — C.  He  that  is,  etc.  (comp.  ii  :  15). 
The  Lord  here  desires  that  every  individual  should  pri- 
marily be  guided  by  holy  principles ;  if  he  believes  that 
peculiar  circumstances  connected  with  the  propagation 
of  the  Gospel  in  the  world,  or  the  growth  of  grace  in  his 
own  soul,  indicate  that  he  should  assume  no  marriage 
ties,  he  may  refrain.  Even  in  this  case,  no  necessity  is 
imposed  on  him  by  a  divine  command — such  a  decision  is 
his  voluntary  act,  as  the  Lord  twice  implies  by  the  words  : 
"  have  made  themselves,  etc.",  and  "let  him  receive  it." 

'^  Then  were  there  brought  unto  him  little  children,  that  he  should  lay  his 
hands  on  them,  and  pray  :  and  the  disciples  rebuked  them. 

A.     Then.     This  word  does  not  necessarily  imply  that 

the   event    now  related    occurred  immediately  after  the 


76  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xix.  13. 

foregoing  conversation  ;  it  is  often  an  indefinite  and  gen- 
eral reference  to  a  period  of  time  which  may  be  of 
greater  or  less  duration  (comp.  2  :  16;  3:5;  9  :  14) 
and  is  accordingly  rendered:  From  that  time  in  4  :  17  ; 
16  :  21.  Luke  places  the  occurrence  in  a  different  connec- 
tion (18:  14,  ff.),  while  Matthew,  who  had  just  related  the 
Saviour's  decisions  respecting  marriage  and  divorce,  now 
proceeds  to  place  other  relations  of  domestic  life  in  a 
Christian  light,  by  describing  the  Saviour's  love  of  little 
children.  Luke  (18:  15)  calls  these  children  babes,  \.\\& 
term  applied  to  children  immediately  after  birth  (Luke 
2  :  12,  16;  Acts  7  :  19;  i  Pet.  2  :  2).  The  parents  who 
brought  them,  were,  doubtless,  believers,  who  already 
understood  the  nature  of  the  spiritual  blessings  which 
Christ  could  confer. — B.  Lay  his  hands  .  .  .  pray=in- 
voke  a  blessing  during  the  act.  This  is  the  sense  of  the 
word  "  touch  "  in  Mark  10  :  13.  It  was  a  Jewish  practice 
to  bring  little  children  to  venerated  religious  teachers  for 
such  a  purpose.  For  illustrations  of  the  imposition  of 
hands  as  a  religious  act  (see  Gen.  48  :  14  ;  Numb.  27  :  18  ; 
Acts  6:6;  18:18;  19:6:2  Tim.  i  :  6). — C.  The  disciples, 
etc. ;  they  had  not  yet  acquired  a  true  and  religious  view 
of  childhood,  of  its  spiritual  wants  and  capacities,  etc.,  and 
appear  to  have  regarded  the  act  of  the  parents  simply  as 
an  intrusion  on  their  revered  master  (comp.  20  :  31). 
Their  mistaken  zeal  displeased  him  greatly  (Mark  10:  14), 
and  led  him  to  speak  specially  of  the  claims  of  childhood 
on  the  attention  and  aid  of  adults.  At  a  later  period, 
when  the  disciples  were  more  fully  enlightened  (John 
14:  26;  16:  12,  13),  they  gladly  declared  to  the  Jews: 
"  The  promise  is  unto  you,  and  to  your  childroi,  etc!'  (Acts 
2  :  39).  They  had  then  obtained  a  better  understanding 
of  Holy  Baptism,  which  was  not  merely  substituted  for 
circumcision,   as   an   initiatory  rite  (Col.    2:11,    12),    but 


XIX.  14.]  CHAPTER  XIX.  77 

which  also,  as  one  of  the  means  of  grace,  greatly  enlarged 
those  privileges  and  blessings  which  had  been  conferred 
on  the  Jewish  child  by  circumcision  (see  20  :  22,  C). 

'"*  lUit  Jesus  said,  Suffer  the  little  children,  and  forbid  them  not,  to  come 
unto  nie ;  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

A.  Suffer.  The  original  word,  precisely  as  in  15  :  14, 
and  John  12:7,  signifies  :  Let  these  parents  and  children 
alone, — \orh\A.=liinder,  p?'event,  as  in  Acts  8  :  36.  The 
act  of  the  parents  (ver.  13),  is  regarded  as  the  act  of  the 
children^lct  them  (the  children,  as  indicated  by  the 
Greek)  come  unto  me  (Mark  10  :  14).  The  Lord  implies 
that  the  deprivation  of  His  blessing  would  be  an  actual 
loss  to  these  children,  for,  otherwise.  His  act  of  blessing 
would  be  a  mere  formality.  Much  more  is  the  depriva- 
tion of  the  Holy  Sacrament  of  Baptism,  which  is  the 
"  washing  of  regeneration  "  (Tit.  3:5;  John  3  :  5)  a 
severe  loss  to  an  infant. — B.  Of  such,  etc.  These  words, 
which  were  spoken  at  a  place  and  a  time  entirely  different 
from  those  in  which  the  occurrences  described  in  18  :  i,  ff. 
took  place,  refer  to  these  little  children  themselves,  in 
this  sense : — The  kingdom  of  heaven  and  its  spiritual 
blessings  as  imparted  in  the  Church  of  Christ,  are  not 
adapted  to,  and  designed  for  adults  alone,  but  for  sueh 
little  children  also  (see  28  :  19,  B.).  They  too  may  be 
sanctified  by  divine  power  and  grace  (i  Cor.  7  :  14),  and 
be  received  into  the  bosom  of  the  Church  ;  to  such  priv- 
ileges no  adult  has  a  better  title  than  an  infant,  since  all 
are  alike  unworthy.  The  solemn  duty  of  parents  to 
bring  their  children  to  the  Lord  in  Holy  Baptism,  and 
teach  them  the  way  of  salvation  at  the  earliest  age,  is 
here  affectingly  and  impressively  declared.  "  Infant  Bap- 
tism," says  Alford  on  Mark  10  :  14,  "  is  the  normal  pat- 
tern of  all  Baptism ;  none  can  enter  God's  kingdom, 
except  as  an  infant." 


78  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xix.  15,  i6. 

*'  And  he  laid  his  hands  on  them,  and  departed  thence. 

Mark  says  (10  :  16),  "  He  took  them  up  in  His  arms, 
put  His  hands  upon  them,  and  blessed  them."  The 
Saviour's  act  of  blessing  can  surely  not  be  viewed  as  a 
mere  ceremony,  devoid  of  value  and  power,  although  as 
in  Baptism,  no  visible  results  at  once  appeared.  The 
precise  nature  of  that  blessing  it  is  impossible  to  define  ; 
that  it,  however,  was  a  positive  blessing,  actually  confer- 
ring certain  divine  gifts,  is  unquestionable.  The  opera- 
tions of  the  divine  Spirit  are  mighty,  although  our  senses 
perceive  them  not  (Col.  i  :  29;  Hebr.  13  :  21).  His 
blessing  is  still  imparted  by  Him  to  little  children  who 
are  brought  to  Him  in  Holy  Baptism,  "  working  in  them 
mightily  "  (Col.  i  :  29)  that  which  is  well-pleasing  in  His 
sight.  Although  those  little  children  were  too  young 
(ver.  13,  A.)  to  be  fully  conscious  of  the  value  of  the 
Saviour's  blessing,  it  was  not  the  less  real  and  efficacious 
on  that  account.  So,  too,  the  blessed  influences  of  Holy 
Baptism  are  not  hindered  by  the  infant's  inability  to 
comprehend  the  nature  of  that  Sacrament.  An  illustra- 
tion may  be  found  in  the  case  of  an  orphan  child,  whose 
inheritance  is  secured  by  legal  processes  the  efficacy  of 
which  it  is  too  young  to  understand.  But  as  the  seed, 
though  it  possesses  vitality,  may  still  bear  no  fruit  (Matt. 
13:3,  ff.),  so  the  blessing  granted  in  Baptism  to  the 
infant  must  be  secured,  developed  and  enlarged  by  sub- 
sequent wholesome  instructions  from  the  word  of  life ; 
otherwise,  that  blessing  may  be  lost. 

'*  And,  behold,  one  came  to  him,  and  said,  Master,  what  good  thing  shall 
I  do,  that  I  may  have  eternal  life  ? 

A.     Behold ;    this    introductory  word    (see    i  :  20,   B.), 

directs    the    reader's    attention    to    the    very    important 

lessons  respecting  the  nature  of  the  sovereign  good,  the 

snares  of  riches,  etc.,  which  the  occurrence   affords. — B. 


X(x.  1 6.]  CHAPTER  XIX.  79 

One  came^-young  (vcr.  20),  very  wealthy  (vcr.  22),  and 
holding  a  high  position,  being  a  ruler  (Luke  18:  18),  either, 
like  the  one  mentioned  in  9:  18,  or,  possibly,  a  member 
of  the  Sanhedrin  (comp.  Luke  24:  20  ;  John  7  :  26).  Mark 
relates  (10:17)  that  he  "kneeled  to  Christ,"  whom  he 
eagerly  sought.  This  act,  when  connected  with  the  two 
circumstances  that  Jesus  "loved  him"  (Mark  10;  21),  and 
that  the  young  man  was  "  sorrowful "  (ver.  22,  below), 
shows  that  he  interrogated  the  Saviour  not  from  malicious 
motives,  but  with  a  sincere  desire  to  learn. — C.  Master 
(=teacher,  in  the  original ;  see  8  :  19,  B.),  etc.  [Both  Mark 
and  Luke  say,  "  Good  Master."]  There  were  Jews  in  the 
days  of  Christ,  of  an  earnest  frame  of  mind,  who  desired 
to  inherit  spiritual  and  eternal  joys  (John  5  :  39).  The 
religious  teachers  of  the  day  had,  however,  reduced 
the  true  worship  of  God  to  a  mere  external  observance  of 
the  letter  of  the  law,  and  disregarded  the  worship  which 
a  believing  and  loving  heart  alone  can  render  to  God. 
These  dangerous  errors  the  Lord  often  lamented  (9 :  36) 
and  exposed  (ch.  5-7;  9:  14,  ff.;  ch.  15,  and  comp. 
John  3:5;  4:  22,  23).  Of  various  fundamental  principles 
of  religion,  this  young  man,  with  all  his  respectability, 
amiable  disposition,  sincerity  and  zeal,  was  totally 
ignorant.  His  question  betrayed  two  fatal  errors  in  par- 
ticular, which  he  cherished ;  the  first  was  his  opinion  that 
a  man  could  earn  or  merit  everlasting  life  (which  is  men- 
tioned in  Dan.  12:2),  by  his  own  acts  ("  what  good  thing  " 
in  addition  to  ordinary  religious  duties  shall  I  «'<9=per- 
form,  work) ;  the  second  was  the  very  low  standard  by 
which  he  estimated  genuine  goodness,  in  the  sense  of 
true  virtue  or  holiness,  not  knowing  that  faith  alone 
can  give  a  proper  character  to  works  (Rom,  ch.  4).  He 
accordingly  applied  the  word  good  to  any  outward  work 
that  seemed  to  conform  to  the  letter  of  the  law,  and  to 


8o  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xix.  17. 

any  religious  teacher  who  appeared  to  observe  the  moral 
law.  Here,  he  assumed  that  Christ  was  a  mere  mortal, 
an  imperfect  creature,  like  all  other  teachers.  It  is  com- 
mon even  in  our  day  among  those  who  deny  the  divinity 
of  Christ  to  compliment  him  with  the  terms :  "  Wise 
teacher,"  Loving  Jesus,"  "  Noble,  exalted  man,"  etc. 
As  Christ  commanded  the  unclean  spirit  which  called  Him 
"  the  Holy  One  of  God  "  to  be  silent  (Mark  i  :  25,  34,  with 
which  compare  Acts  16:  17,  18),  because  He  would  not 
receive  testimony  from  such  a  source,  so  here  he  declines 
to  be  called  "  Good  Master,"  when  that  appellation  pro- 
ceeds from  low  views  of  His  Person  and  Work,  and  with- 
holds Him  the  divine  honor  which  is  due  to  Him  even  as 
to  the  Father  (John  5  :  23);  it  reduces  Him  to  the  rank  of 
a  merely  wise  and  v'ntuoxxs  hiunan  being,  instead  of  recog- 
nizing the  Father  in  Him  (John  14:9),  and  showing 
acknowledging  that  He  alone  was  without  sin  (for  His  sin- 
lessness,  see  i  :  16,  C). 

''  And  he  said  unto  him,  Why  askest  thou  me  concerning  that  which  is 
good  ?  One,  there  is  who  is  good:  but  if  thou  wouldest  enter  into  hfe,  keep 
the  commandments.* 

A.  Why  askest  .  .  .  good =Bef ore  thou  canst  expect 
to  do  actions  which  are  good,  thou  must  rightly  under- 
stand the  exalted  nature  of  that  goodness  which  alone  is 
acceptable  in  the  eyes  of  God.  Thou  callest  Me  good, 
and  yet  thinkest  that  I  am  like  any  other  man,  of  whom 
it  is  said,  as  thou  knowest,  that  "  the  imagination  of  his 
heart  is  evil  from  his  youth"  (Gen.  8:21).  Hast  thou 
ever  reflected  properly  on  the  true  nature  of  goodness  as 
it  is  revealed  in  the  character  of  the  perfect  and  infinite 
God,  or  inquired  whether,  in  snch  a  sense,  any  mortal  can 
possess    that  attribute  ?     The    precision  with    which  the 

*  [Comp.  Mark  10:  iS;  Luke  iS  :  19,  "  And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Why 
callest  thou  me  good  ?  none  is  good  save  one,  even  God." — H.] 


XIX.  i8,  19.]  CHAPTER  XIX.  81 

Lord  here  fixes  the  meaning  of  the  term  proceeds  from 
His  perception  of  the  young  man's  total  misapprehension 
of  the  nature  of  purity  and  hoHness.  When  He  Himself 
at  other  times  speaks  of  good  and  evil  men  (5  :  45,  C;  12  : 
35),  he  regards  the  former  as  only  comparatively  good,  in 
the  popular  sense  of  the  word.  But  when  the  title  good 
is  applied  to  himself,  he  desires  that  it  should  be  applied 
to  him  not  as  a  mere  man,  but  as  the  God-Man.  The 
truth  that  God  alone  is  good  is  strikingly  expressed  in  the 
English  and  German  names,  God,  Gott,  which  coincide 
ultimately  with  the  words  good,  gut. — B.  But  if,  etc, 
The  Lord  Jesus,  who  sees  the  sincerity  as  well  as  the 
ignorance  of  the  young  man,  designs  to  expose  His  Phari- 
saic errors  in  all  their  folly,  and  thus  prepare  the  way  for 
the  entrance  into  his  heart  of  pure  Gospel  truth.  The 
sense  is  : — Thy  question  answers  itself ;  the  good  thing 
which  thou  desirest  to  know,  must  naturally  be  the  keep- 
ing, in  accordance  with  the  divine  purpose,  of  all,  and  not 
of  a  part  only  of  the  commandments  which  God,  the 
sovereign  good,  has  given.  "  If  a  man  do  them,  he  shall 
live  in  them  "  (Lev.  18:  5).  Hast  thou  done — canst  thou 
do,  them  with  a  perfect  heart  ?  Art  thou  not,  after 
all  thy  efforts,  only  an  "  unprofitable  servant  "  ?  (Luke 
17:  10). 

",  '9  He  saith  unto  him,  Which  ?  And  Jesus  said,  Thou  shalt  not  kill, 
Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery,  Thou  shalt  not  steal,  Thou  shalt  not  bear 
false  witness, — Honour  thy  father  and  thy  mother :  and,  Thou  shalt  love 
thy  neighbour  as  thyself. 

A.  Which  ?  The  young  man  already  becomes  con- 
scious of  the  power  of  the  searching  words  of  Christ  ;  he 
feels  the  insuf^ciency  of  the  Pharisaic  religious  lessons, 
for  these  had  not  yet  indicated  a  sure  and  satisfactory 
principle  of  holy  living  (see  5  :  19,  A.). —  B.     Jesus  said, 

etc.     By  this  general  reference  to  the  Decalotrue  or  Ten 
6     ' 


82  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xix.  20. 

Commandments  (Exod.,  ch.  20),  which  were  written  on 
the  "two  tables  of  the  testimony"  (Exod.  32  :  15),  the 
Lord  indicates  the  moral  law  in  its  whole  extent.  He 
had  on  former  occasions  (5  :  21,  27;  15  :  4)  illustrated 
their  true  meaning  and  spirit.  He  now  adds  from  Lev. 
19  :  18  the  words  :  Thou  shalt  love,  etc.  (see  5  :  43,  C), 
for  the  purpose  of  showing  to  the  young  man,  who  was 
not  a  hypocrite,  but  was,  nevertheless,  ignorant  and  self- 
righteous,  that  obedience  to  God  consists  not  simply  in 
outward  acts,  but  also  in  pure  and  kindly  emotions  of  the 
heart  (see  ann.  to  25  :  35,  36).  The  phrase:  as  thyself,  is 
equivalent  to  :  Avith  the  same  sincerity  and  uniformity 
with  which  thou  laborest  for  thy  own  welfare.  When  a 
similar  answer  was  given  by  the  Lord  to  a  less  earnest 
inquirer  (Luke  10  :  28),  the  sense  is  nearly  the  same^ 
This  do,  love  God  with  all  thy  heart,  etc.,  if  thou  canst  ! 
But  thou  canst  not  do  this  by  thy  own  strength.  (See 
Paul's  language  in  Rom.  3  :  20  ;  8:7;  Gal.  2:16) 

-°  The  young  man  saith  unto  him,  All  these  things  have  I  observed:  what 
lack  I  yet  ? 

A.  All  these,  etc.  There  is  no  reason  to  doubt  the 
truth  of  the  young  man's  assertion  that  he  had  led  a 
moral  life  (had  not  been  an  idolater,  adulterer,  etc).  But 
he  again  betrays  very  low  views  of  true  religion,  and 
gross  ignorance  of  the  state  of  his  heart.  He  looked  to 
the  letter  of  the  law  alone,  and  was  not  aware  that,  ac- 
cording to  the  Lord's  solemn  declarations,  even  if  he 
were  no  actual  thief  or  murderer  according  to  the  com- 
mon interpretation  of  the  law,  he  might  still  be  "  in 
danger  of  hell-fire"  (Matt.  5  :  21-32).  So  Paul  was  zeal- 
ous and  "  blameless  "  as  a  Jew,  but  found  such  "  right- 
eousness "  (Phil.,  ch.  3)  to  be  "  as  filthy  rags  "  (Isai.  64  :  6). 
The  Ten  Commandments  may.be  kept  according  to  the 
letter,    and    yet    be   violated    in    their    spirit.      Had    this 


XIX.  20.]  CHAPTER  XIX.  83 

young  man  kept,  for  instance,  the  Commandment:  "Thou 
shalt  not  kill,"  as  it  is  explained  in  i  John  3:15?  Did 
his  good  works  all  proceed  from  a  principle  of  love  to 
God  ?  (Matt.  22  :  37,  38).  Had  he  not,  on  the  contrary, 
always  misinterpreted  the  last  commandment,  which  the 
Lord  had  quoted  from  Lev.  19:  18 — the  law  of  love? 
Its  true  Gospel  meaning  is  found  in  5  :  43,  ff. ;  22  :  39,  40 ; 
Rom.  13  :  8-10;  Gal.  5  :  14;  James  2  :  8.— B.  What  lack 
I  yet ?=  Have  I  not  yet  fulfilled  all  my  duty  to  God? 
What  is  my  spiritual  want  which  yet  remains,  as  Thou 
impliest  by  Thy  words  and  looks,  and  which  my  heart 
now  begins  to  feel  ?  This  dawning  of  light  in  the  young 
man's  soul,  which  indistinctly  revealed  to  him  his  spiritual 
poverty,  and  now  awakened  a  desire  to  find  God,  explains 
the  words  in  Mark  10  :  21  :  "  Jesus  beholding  him,  loved 
him  "=was  greatly  pleased  with  the  feeble  effort  made 
by  the  young  man,  and  felt  great  pity  for  him.  But 
divine  love  is  not  always  returned  on  the  part  of  men. 
God  loved  and  pitied  the  world  (John  3  :  16);  but  he  who 
scorns  that  love,  and  will  not  believe  in  Christ,  is  guilty 
of  self-destruction.  To  lack=\.o  zvant  or  need  ;  a  defi- 
ciency is  implied.  The  original  word  is  translated  to  be 
in  want  in  Luke  15  :  14  ;  fall  short  (Rom.  3  :  23  ;  Hebr. 
4:1);  come  behind {i  Cor.  i  -.y);  to  be  in  zuant  (Phil.  4 :  12); 
being  destitute  (Hebr.  11  :  37).  The  Lord,  in  His  remark- 
able treatment  of  this  case,  designed  to  teach  the  young 
man  that  mere  morality  or  freedom  from  vice,  and  the 
outward  observance  of  the  precepts  of  virtue,  could  not 
atone  for  other  sins  of  the  heart  and  life,  which  polluted 
every  child  of  fallen  Adam  (John  3:6);  such  morality, 
therefore,  cannot  give  true  peace  to  an  awakened  con- 
science (Hebr.  9:9;  10  :  2).  Such  peace  can  flow  from 
faith  in  the  crucified  Redeemer  and  His  atoning  work 
alone  (Hebr.    9  :  14  ;    10  :  19-22).     The    knowledge    and 


84  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xix.  21. 

cordial  acceptance  of  this  evangelical  truth,  to  which  the 
Lord  refers  in  the  words  :  "  follow  me  "  (ver.  21),  consti- 
tuted the  "  one  thing  "  (Mark)  which  he  yet  lacked.  To 
this  point  the  Lord  designs  to  conduct  the  young  man 
by  unveiling  to  him  the  true  state  of  his  heart. 

^'  Jesus  said  unto  him,  If  thou  wouldest  be  perfect,  go,  sell  that  thou  hast, 
and  give  to  the  poor,  and  thou  shalt  have  treasure  in  heaven :  and  come, 
follow  me. 

A.  If  .  ,  .  perfect=if  thou  desirest  to  acquire  a  holy 
character  which  is  really  "  perfect  and  complete  "  (Col. 
4  :  12),  that  is,  in  which  no  essential  feature  is  lacking. 
For  perfect,  see  5  :  48.  The  Lord  here  begins  with  the 
First  Commandment  (Exod.  20  :  2,  3)  as  a  test^Hast  thou 
no  other  gods  whom  thou  dost  worship, such  as  Mammon? 
Examine  thy  heart.  Absolute  perfection  is  not  attainable 
in  this  life  (Phil.  3  :  12-14). — ^-  Go  .  .  .  hast^Dost 
thou  believe  that  thou  canst  by  thy  own  wisdom  and 
strength  acquire  the  faith  and  love  of  the  heart  which 
essentially  constitute  obedience  to  God  ?  The  Lord 
issues  a  command  suited  to  this  special  case,  and  not  one 
intended  in  a  literal  sense  for  universal  application  to  all 
the  members  of  a  Christian  community.  Buyers  as  well 
as  sellers  or  vendors  can  be,  and  are  required  to  be,  gen- 
uine followers  of  Christ.  Indeed,  such  a  sacrifice  of  prop- 
erty, merely  as  an  outward  act,  is  of  no  value,  according 
to  Paul  (i  Cor.  13:3),  and  is,  accordingly,  never  made,  in 
any  passage  of  Scripture,  an  universal  duty.  The  popish 
vows  of  poverty  taken  by  monks  and  nuns,  is  merely  a 
part  of  their  mechanical  religion,  which,  like  that  of  the 
Samaritans,  teaches  them  to  worship  "  they  know  not 
what  "  (John  4  :  22).  The  command  is,  rather,  designed 
to  unveil  to  the  young  man  the  hidden  "  plague  of  his 
own  heart  "  (i  Kings  8  :  38).  To  him  God  had  not  been 
known  as  the  highest  or  sovereign  good  (ver.  17);  it  ap- 


X!X.  22.]  CHAPTER  XIX.  85 

pears  that  his  desires  and  care  really  referred  rather  to 
the  preservation  and  increase  of  his  wealth,  than  to  his 
growth  in  divine  knowledge  and  the  love  of  God.  But 
the  disastrous  influences  of  such  a  state  of  feeling  are 
strikingly  taught  in  Matt.  13  :  22  ;  i  Tim.  6:9;  James 
5:1,  ff.).  The  sense  then  is  :  Pluck  out  thy  right  eye 
(5  :  29)  ;  deny  thyself ;  cease  to  serve  mammon  (6  :  24), 
and  transfer  all  thy  love  to  God.  Art  thou  prepared  to 
give  evidence  of  thy  sincerity  and  earnestness  of  purpose 
by  selling  all,  etc.  ? — that  thou  hast^thy  property,  as  the 
original  word  implies  here  as  well  as  in  25  :  14  ;  Luke 
8:3;  12  :  15,  33.^C.  Give  to  the  poor.  When  these 
words  were  pronounced,  the  Christian  Church  was  not 
yet  organized,  and  the  importance  and  necessity  of  the 
various  benevolent  and  Churchly  activities  in  Missions, 
Bible  distributions.  Institutions  of  Christian  learning 
etc.,  of  modern  times  were  not  distinctly  known  and  felt  ; 
consequently,  the  only  form  in  which  pecuniary  resources 
could  be  consecrated  to  works  of  love,  consisted  in  the 
aid  granted  to  the  indigent  (comp.  26:  11,  A.;  Acts 
2  :  45  ;  4  :  34,  35  ;  6  :  i). — D.  Thou  shalt  .  .  .  heaven 
=God  in  heaven  will  regard  thy  disinterested  love  to 
man  with  favor,  and  impart  rich  blessing  to  thy  soul  (see 
5  :  12,  B.,  and  6  :  20,  A.). — E.  Come  and  follov^^  me=If 
thou  wilt  have  eternal  life  (ver.  16),  thou  must  withdraw 
all  thy  love  from  the  world  (Luke  12  :  33  ;  14  :  33),  and 
"  count  all  things  but  loss  for  the  excellency  of  the 
knowledge  "  (Phil.  3  :  8)  of  ATc,  as  thy  Saviour.  Come 
unto  Me  and  take  My  yoke  upon  thee  (i  i  :  28,  29),  for  I 
alone  "  am  the  way,  and  the  truth,  and  the  life,  etc." 
(John  14  :  6).  I  will  guide  thee  to  heaven  (comp. 
4  :  19-  A.). 

^^  But  when  the  young  man  heard  the   saying,  he   went  away  sorrowful: 
for  he  was  one  that  had  great  possessions. 


86  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xix.  23. 

The  young  man  was  sorrowful,  because  he  now  learned 
that  his  wealth,  which  was  his  idol  (Col.  3  :  5),  might  en- 
snare him,  and  that  his  love  of  mammon  must  be  crushed. 
The  struggle  in  his  soul,  the  lusting  of  the  flesh  and  of 
the  spirit  against  each  other,  the  necessity  of  crucifying 
the  former  (Gal.  5:17,  24) — such  were  the  causes  of  his 
grief.  If  he  had  consecrated  himself  to  Christ,  the  ac- 
quisition of  the  "  true  riches"  (Luke  16  :  11)  would  have 
soothed  his  grief,  as  in  the  case  of  Paul  (Phil.  4  :  1 1-13). 
But  he  went  away  from  Christ !  That  young  man  has 
long  since  passed  to  the  eternal  world  ;  the  sacred  history 
does  not  record  the  result,  whether  he  finally  returned  to 
Christ,  or  whether  "  the  deceitfulness  of  riches  choked 
the  word"  (13  :  22)  and  ultimately  led  to  the  eternal  loss 
of  his  soul,  as  the  deep  emotion  with  which  the  Saviour 
speaks,  leads  us  to  fear. 

^3  And  Jesus  said  unto  his  disciples,  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  it  is  hard  for 
a  rich  man  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

A,  Then  said  Jesus=after  looking  around  Him  (Mark 
10  :  23),  and  evidently  much  affected  Himself  by  the  de- 
parture of  the  young  man  at  that  solemn  moment  of  his 
life.  The  subject  was  so  important,  the  possible  loss  of 
the  soul  of  that  retreating  young  man  was  an  event  so 
awful,  that  the  Lord  imparted  further  instructions  to 
His  deeply  moved  heavens. — B.  Verily  (5  :  18,  A.).— C. 
Hard  for  a  rich  man.  The  Lord  means  that  the  struggle 
between  the  corrupt  love  of  mammon  and  the  conscience 
will  terminate  in  the  victory  of  the  flesh,  thus  preventing 
the  acquisition  of  a  heavenly  mind  and  the  salvation  of 
the  soul,  unless  the  rich  man  earnestly  and  faithfully 
seek  the  aid  of  the  divine  grace  (see  Rom.  8  :  5-8  ;  i 
Cor.  2  :  12-14).  The  disciples,  as  we  learn  from  Mark 
10  :  24,  were  astonished  at  His  words,  and  erroneously 
supposed  that  he  considered   the   possession  of  riches  in 


XIX.  24.]  CHAPTER  XIX.  87 

itself  a.s  being  a  hindrance  to  salvation.  The  Lord  there- 
fore explained  His  meaning  to  be,  that  the  difficulty  arose 
not  from  a  man's  mere  possession  of  riches,  but  from  his 
inclination  to  put  Jiis  trust  in  them  (Mark.  10  :  24;  comp. 
the  word  ti'ust  in  27  :  43  ;  Hebr.  2  :  13),  in  place  of  making 
God  his  only  source  of  enjoyment  and  peace.  Such 
friendship  of  the  world  necessarily  excludes  from  "  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,"  that  is,  from  all  communion  with 
God  (James.  4  :  4).  Comp.  the  two  parables  concerning 
rich  men  whose  worldly-mindedness,  not  whose  wealth, 
caused  their  ruin  (Luke  12  :  i5,fT.  and  16  :  19,  ff.).  Indeed, 
the  poor  rather  than  the  rich  seem  to  have  originally 
embraced  the  religion  of  Christ  (James  2  :  5).  Still,  we 
find  among  the  earliest  Christian  converts  several  wealthy 
persons,  such  as  Zaccheus  (Luke  19  :  2),  and  the  "rich 
man,"  Joseph  of  Arimathea  (Matt.  27  :  57). 

'^^  And  again    I  say   unto  you,   It  is  easier  for  a  camel  to  go  through  a 
needle's  eye,  than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  the  kingdom  of  God. 

A.     And  again  (see  18  :  19,  A.). — B.     It  is  easier,  etc. 

It  is  obvious  that,  as  in  the  analogous  passage  (Jerem. 
13  :  23,  the  terms  camel  (for  which  see  3  :  4,  A.  and  23  : 
24,  B.)  and  needle's  eye,  indicate  not  simply  a  high  degree 
of  difficulty,  but  literally  an  absolute  impossibility. 
Hence  no  interpretation  which,  by  a  slight  change  of  the 
original  Greek  word  {kauiilon  for  kauicloii),  would  furnish 
the  translation  rope,  cable  in  place  of  eanie/,  or  which 
refers  to  a  small  door  or  wicket  placed  in  the  large  gate 
of  a  city  wall,  can  really  evade  that  impossibility.  The 
proverbial  language  of  the  Orientals  here  employed,  can 
indicate  nothing  else  than  an  actual  impossibility  ;  some- 
times the  figure  of  an  elephant  is  employed  in  place  of 
that  of  a  camel.  The  latter  is  often  an  image  of  a  dis- 
proportionably  large  object  (as  in  23  :  24).  It  has  one  or 
two    humps  on  the  back,   and   its  limbs  are  very   long. 


88  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xix.  25. 

"  There  is  nothing  graceful  or  sprightly  in  any  camel,  old 
or  young  ;  all  is  misshapen,  ungainly  and  awkward.  The 
camel  is  a  silly,  timid,  gregarious,  heavy,  sullen  animal. 
It  eats  and  drinks  little,  and  its  sure-footedness  is  another 
important  quality  of  this  *  ship  of  the  desert,'  having  a 
broad,  awkward  foot  adapted  to  the  arid  sands  and 
gravelly  soil."— ROBINSON  :  Bibl.  Res.  ii.  209.  The  sense 
here  is,  not  that  a  rich  man  necessarily  finds  it  impossible 
to  live  and  die  as  a  genuine  disciple  of  Christ,  if  he  re- 
tains his  wealth.  The  history  of  many  wealthy  Christians 
who  have  been  faithful  stewards  of  the  Lord,  refuted 
such  an  interpretation.  But  the  lesson  taught,  is  the 
following  :  God  has  made  the  love  of  Himself  the  first 
and  great  duty  of  man  (Matt.  22  :  37,  38,  comp.  with  Deut. 
6:5;  10  :  12) ;  hence,  any  frame  of  mind  or  state  of  feel- 
ing that  gives  to  mammon  the  honor  which  God  claims, 
utterly  unfits  a  man  for  the  acceptable  worship  of  God 
on  earth,  and  for  the  enjoyment  of  His  presence  in 
heaven.  According  to  the  proverb  of  the  camel,  such  a 
man  cannot  possibly  approach  God  at  any  time  in  an 
acceptable  manner  (see  6  :  24). 

^5  And  when  the  disciples  heard  it,  they  were  astonished  exceedingly,  say- 
ing, Who  then  can  be  saved  ? 

The  disciples  were  already  conscious  of  the  corruption 
of  the  human  heart  and  its  opposition  to  God,  but  they 
had  never  before  beheld  the  consequences  of  human 
depravity  so  clearly  as  in  this  solemn  moment.  They 
felt  the  weight  of  "  the  body  of  this  death,"  and  the  weak- 
ness of  the  law  (its  inability  to  subdue  the  sinful  affec- 
tions and  lusts  of  men  (Rom.  7  :  24 ;  8:3),  and  they  now 
perceived  the  following  mournful  truth  :  that,  in  view  of 
the  fact  stated  in  Gen.  6:  5  and  8  :  21,  and  the  truth  that 
"  a  man  is  not  justified  by  the  works  of  the  law  "  (Gal.  2  : 
16),  as  the  Lord  had  just  taught  the  young  man.  no  man. 


XIX.  26.]  CHAPTER  XIX.  .   89 

whether  rich  or  poor  ("  who  then  "^who  at  all)  can  be 
saved  by  his  own  personal  efforts.  The  phrase  :  aston= 
ished,  exceedingly,  describes  the  consternation  produced 
in  the  disciples  by  these  new  views,  and  the  deep  anxiety 
with  which  they  gazed  at  one  another  (Mark  10  :  26),  all 
uttering  the  language  of  despair  :  Who  then  can  be  saved  ? 

^*  And  Jesus  looking  upon  the7n  said  to  lliem,  With  men  tiiis  is  impossible  ; 
but  with  God  all  things  are  possible. 

A.  But.  The  Greek  word  is  here  equivalent  to  And, 
as  in  ver.  28,  where  it  is  so  translated  (see  5:1,  A.). — B. 
Looking  upon  them=fixed  His  eyes  upon  them  earnestly, 
with  all  that  fulness  of  compassion  displayed  on  other 
occasions  (Matt.  9  :  36 ;  Luke  19:  41),  and  here  expressed 
by  the  soothing  appellation  :  "  Children  "=my  beloved 
disciples  (Mark  10  :  24).  The  Lord  taught  many  a  solemn 
lesson  by  a  glance  or  a  look  (Luke  22  :  61). — C.  With 
men,  etc,  "  The  Lord  means  :  I  do  not  speak  of  the  rich 
only,  but  of  ^t// men,  who  are  induced  by  the  influence  of 
Original  Sin  to  trust  (Mark  10  :  24)  in  worldly  possessions 
rather  than  to  love  and  to  confide  in  God  ;  none  can  save 
themselves.  The  grace  of  God  alone  can  renew  man's 
heart,  and  fit  him  for  heaven." — LUTHER.  Accordingly, 
the  Lord  pronounces  that  the  conclusion  which  the  dis- 
tressed disciples  had  reached,  is  correct — it  is  impossible 
for  man  to  change  his  own  corrupt  nature,  for  "  who  can 
bring  a  clean  thing  out  of  an  unclean  ?  not  one  "  (Job  14 : 
4).  But — adds  he  with  overflowing  love — the  infinitely 
wise,  mighty  and  merciful  God  can  accomplish  this  great 
work  of  man's  salvation  ;  it  is  wrought  by  "sending  His 
own  Son"  (Rom.  8:3),  renewing  man's  nature  (Tit.  3: 
5),  and  making  Christ  unto  man  "  wisdom,  and  righteous- 
ness, and  sanctification,  and  redemption"  (i  Cor.  i  :  30  ; 
Rom.  6 :  23).  Man's  salvation  is  solely  a  work  of  God's 
grace  (Eph.  2:8;  Acts  1 1  :  18). 


90  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.         [xix.  27,  28. 

^'  Then  answered  Peter  and  said  unto  him,  So  we  have  left  all,  and  fol- 
lowed thee;  what  then  shall  we  have? 

The  encouraging  words  which  the  Lord  had  just  pro- 
nounced :  With  God,  etc.,  did  not  yet  cahn  the  fears  of 
the  disciples  who  deeply  felt  their  own  unworthiness. 
Nevertheless,  they  had  really  done  more  by  forsaking  all 
(4  :  18-22  ;  Luke  5:11),  than  the  young  man  whose  case 
had  awakened  their  painful  doubts  respecting  themselves. 
What  was  then  their  own  relation  to  the  kingdom  of  God? 
Could  they  liopc,  or  must  \.\\Q.y  fear  and  despair?  Hence 
Peter's  question  follows.  The  original  words,  literally 
translated,  are  :  What  then  shall  be  to  (for)  us  ?=What 
will  then  be  our  lot?  The  sense  is:  If  we  have  shown 
greater  love  and  devotion  than  this  young  man  has  done, 
can  we  hope  that  we  shall  be  saved  ?  The  Lord's  answer, 
which  is  full  of  encouragement,  implies  that  Peter  asked, 
not  in  a  mercenary  spirit,  after  the  amount  of  the  reward, 
but  rather  in  much  anxiety,  greatly  fearing  that  he  and 
his  fellow-disciples  had  not  sufificiently  manifested  the 
sincerity  of  their  attachment  to  the  Lord. 

^'  And  Jesus  said  unto  them.  Verily  I  say  unto  you.  That  ye  which  have 
followed  me,  in  the  regeneration  when  the  Son  of  man  shall  sit  on  the  throne 
of  his  glory,  ye  also  shall  sit  upon  twelve  thrones,  judging  the  twelve  tribes 
of  Israel. 

A.  Three  points  in  this  remarkably  full  and  and  com- 
prehensive answer  of  the  Lord,  claim  attention  :  first.  He 
promises  a  beautiful  reward  in  ver.  28,  to  His  disciples, 
and  gives  them  the  comforting  assurance  that  they  are 
sincere  and  accepted  followers,  so  that  their  prospects  are 
far  more  cheering  than  those  of  the  young  man  who  had 
just  departed.  Secondly,  in  ver.  29,  He  extends  His 
promise,  which  now  adds  "  everlasting  life,"  to  all  others, 
who,  like  the  disciples,  shall  renounce  the  world,  and  fol- 
low  Him.     But,  thirdly,   He  utters  a  solemn  warning  in 


XIX.  28.]  CHAPTER  XIX.  91 

ver.  30,  illustrated  by  the  parable  which  succeeds,  and  in- 
tended to  suppress  all  human  pride  and  vain-glory  both 
in  the  disciples  and  in  all  other  Christians  :  if  God  grants 
a  reward  to  the  faithful,  that  reward  is  reckoned  o{  grace 
and  not  oidcbt  (see  Paul's  explanation  in  Rom.  4  14,  16), 
B.  Verily  .  .  .  followed  me ;  the  comma  which  should 
be  placed  after  the  words:  fo/Iozucd  vie,  is  inaccurately 
omitted  in  some  editions  of  the  English  N.  T.,  and, 
in  that  case,  the  sense  of  the  passage  becomes  confused. 
The  true  order  of  the  words  is  :  Ye  which  (=who)  have 
followed  Me,  shall  sit,  in  the  regeneration  when  the  Son 
of  Man  shall  sit  in  the  throne  of  His  glory,  even  ye  (shall 
sit)  upon  twelve,  etc.  Their  sacrifices  in  a  pecuniary 
respect,  had  probably  been  somewhat  limited,  but  still 
were  not  altogether  trivial,  as  the  facts  in  Mark  i  :  20  ; 
Luke  5  :  ii,  29  seem  to  show.  Certainly  they  had  the 
zvill  io  leave  all  for  Christ,  and  this  holy  disposition  the 
Lord  regards  with  favor. — C.  In  the  regeneration.  The 
Lord  gives  a  double  promise  ;  the  one  in  ver.  28  refers  to 
this  world  ("  in  this  time,"  Mark  10  :  30,  as  in  i  Tim. 
4:8;  comp.  Deut.4  :  40  ;  5  ;  33  ;  Ps.  37  :  4)  ;  the  other, 
which  is  extended  to  "  every  one  that,  etc.,  (including  the 
disciples),  and  refers  to  "  everlasting  life  "  ("  in  the  world 
to  come,"  Mark)  is  expressed  in  the  next  verse.  Hence 
the  term  regeneration,  as  applied  to  the  apostles,  must 
describe  a  time  or  period  which  precedes  the  second  or 
final  coming  of  Christ  to  judgment,  when  the  redeemed 
enter  into  life  eternal,  (25  :  46).  The  Greek  word  trans- 
lated regeneration,  and  found  only  in  one  other  passage 
of  the  N.  T.  (Tit.  3  :  5),  strictly  signifies  a  second  or 
new  birth  ;  it  is  then  applied  to  any  important  change  or 
improvement  of  condition,  in  the  sense  of  renewal,  reno- 
vation, or  restoration  of  a  former  and  Jiappier  state.  Thus 
in  Tit.  3  :  5,  (where  the  word   refers  to  the  actual  beginn- 


92  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xix.  28. 

ing  of  spiritual  life  only,  and  not  to  an  advanced  degree 
of  Christian  holiness,  which  is  rather  its  result),  the  grace 
imparted  as  a  new  germ  or  principle  of  spiritual  life 
through  Holy  Baptism,  is  viewed  as  a  regeneration=the 
establishment  of  a  new  and  happier  state.  So,  too,  Jose- 
phus  (Antiq.  11  :  3-9)  calls  the  re-occupation  of  the  Holy 
Land  by  the  Jews  after  the  Babylonian  Captivity  and 
their  new  liberty,  a  restoration  or  "  regeneration  "  of  the 
country,  using  the  same  Greek  word,  and  applying  it,  as 
the  Lord  does  in  this  verse,  to  a  new  and  happier  state  of 
man  in  this  life.  Now  the  Lord  describes  that  future  age 
of  the  Church  on  earth  as  one  of  great  blessedness,  when 
"  all  shall  know  Him,  from  the  least  to  the  greatest  " 
(Hebr.  8  ;  11),  according  to  the  predictions  of  the  prophets 
Jeremiah  (31  ;  34)  and  Isaiah  (54  :  13).  The  world  shall 
be  given  to  the  apostles  as  their  field  of  labor,  and  "  all 
the  earth,"  in  which  the  darkness  and  misery  of  heathen- 
ism still  prevail,  "  shall  worship  God  "  (Ps.  66  :  4).  Then 
shall  all  Gentiles  hear  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel,  and 
men  in  every  nation,  as  Peter  declared  (Acts  10  :  35), 
that  fear  God  and  work  righteousness,  shall  be  accepted 
with  him.  When  this  kingdom  is  given  to  the  Son  of 
man,  and  "  the  heathen  have  become  His  inheritance  "  (Ps. 
2  :  8),  "  all  people,  nations  and  languages  shall  serve  Him  " 
(Dan.  7:  13,  14).  To  that  blessed  period  when  the  light 
of  the  Gospel  shall  shine  in  all  the  earth  and  no  longer  be 
confined  within  the  narrow  limits  of  Palestine  and  the 
neighboring  regions,  the  Lord  had  already  distinctly  re- 
ferred on  a  former  occasion  (see  above,  8  :  11).  The 
banner  of  the  cross  shall  be  displayed  in  lands  that  were 
once  covered  with  gross  darkness  (Isai.  60  :  2  ;  Luke  i  : 
79)  ;  "  the  sun  of  righteousness  shall  arise  with  healing  in 
his  wings  "  (Mai.  4 :  2),  and  "  the  ends  of  the  earth  "  (Isai. 
45  :  22)  shall  hear  the  Gospel  call  to  repentance  and  faith 


XIX.  28.]  CHAPTER  XIX.  93 

in  Christ.  This  new  impulse  given  to  mankind  by  the 
Gospel,  and  the  happy  state  which  shall  follow,  is  here 
described  by  the  Lord  as  a  regeneration  of  the  world. 
When  Jews  and  Gentiles  shall  be  "  made  one  "  in  Christ 
(Eph.  2  :  14),  Paul  emphatically  terms  that  result  "  life 
from  the  dead  "  (Rom.  ii  :  15).  Other  analogous  terms, 
also  descriptive  of  the  happy  state  of  the  world,  when  the 
Messiah  shall  be  known  and  owned  in  every  land,  occur 
in  the  N.  T.,  such  as  "  times  of  refreshing,"  "  times  of  res- 
titution" {apokatastasis)  Acts  3  :  19,  21  ;  the  time  of  the 
Gospel  dispensation  is  "  the  time  of  reformation  "  (Hebr. 
9  :  10)  predicted  in  Isai,  65  :  17;  66  :  22  ;  Hag.  2:6; 
Hebr.  12  :  26. — D.  When  the  Son  .  .  .  glory=when 
Christ  shall  be  acknowledged  in  every  land  as  Lord  and 
King  (Matt.  22  144,  B. ;  Phil.  2  :  10,  1 1).— Throne  of  his 
gIory=His  glorious  throne,  indicating  power  and  honor, 
as  in  I  Sam.  2  :  8,  where  the  phrase  also  implies  an  author- 
ity generally  acknowledged.  The  figurative  expression 
shall  sit  (^seating  himself)  on  the  throne,  indicates,  as 
in  Ps.  29:  10,  the  general  2iX\<\  peaceful  acknowledgment  of 
Christ's  divine  glory,  which  "  we  see  not  yet  "  (Hebr.  2  : 
8),  but  which  will  appear  when  "  all  flesh  shall  see  the 
salvation  of  God  "  (Luke  3  :  6).  (The  Saviour's  sitting 
"  upon  the  throne  of  His  glory  "  in  25  131  refers  to  a  later 
period  ;  it  is  there  expressly  distinguished  by  the  words : 
"when  the  Son  of  man  shall  come''  from  the  period  of 
time  here  meant,  and  refers  to  His  second  or  visible  com- 
ing to  judgment.  That  different  events  of  this  class  are 
described  in  similar  terms,  appears  from  10  :  23,  B). — E. 
Ye  also  .  .  .  of  Israel.  The  circumstance  that  Judas,  who 
had  once  been  "  numbered  with  "  the  apostles,  as  one  of 
the  Twelve  (Acts  1:17),  was  afterwards  ''  lost  "  (John  17  : 
12),  and  the  fact  that  the  Ten  tribes  which  had  been  car- 
ried to  Assyria  never  returned  (2  Kings  17  :  23),  both  show 


94  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xix.  28. 

that  the  Lord  here  speaks  figuratively  only,  and  in  gen- 
eral terms.  The  number  twelve  expressed  among  the 
Jews  the  idea  of  completeness  and  totality  (see  10:  i, 
A.).  The  sense  is,  that  the  company  of  the  disciples,  to 
whom  a  special  office  had  been  given,  should  be  divinely 
sustained  in  their  honorable  work,  and  exercise,  long  after 
their  death,  a  controlling  religious  (but  not  political,  18  : 
I,  C.)  influence  on  all  Christian  nations.  All  Christendom, 
that  is,  the  spiritual  Israel,  the  "  Israel  of  God  "  (Gal.  6: 
16  ;  Rom.  2  :  28,  29),  viewed  here  as  a  whole,  is  designated 
by  the  term  used  to  describe  the  totality  of  "  Israel  after 
the  flesh  "  (i  Cor.  10:  18).  Thus  Christians  or  believers 
are  "  the  children  of  Abraham  "  (Gal.  3  :  7),  and  are  prob- 
ably "the  twelve  tribes"  mentioned  in  James  I  :  i,=the 
"strangers  scattered,  etc.,"  in  I  Pet.  I  :  I. — The  thrones 
(here  an  image  of  power  and  authority)  refer  to  the  high 
character,  peculiar  work  and  undisputed  authority  in  the 
Church  of  the  apostles,  upon  whose  labors,  as  upon  a 
foundation,  the  Church  was  built  (Eph.  2  :  20 ;  Rev.  21  : 
14).  No  passage  of  Scripture  teaches  that  the  apostles 
will  have  authority  over  the  redeemed  in  heaven,  while, 
on  the  other  hand,  passages  descriptive  of  their  superior 
or  ministerial  authority  in  the  Church  on  earth  abound 
in  the  N.  T.,  for  instance,  Rom.  1:5;  11:13;  i  Cor.  12  : 
28;  2  Cor.  12:  12.  The  same  truth  is  involved  in  the 
word  judging,  which  alludes  to  the  peculiar  office  of  the 
men  of  whom  the  book  of  Judges  treats,  who  are  also 
termed  saviours  in  Nchem.  9  :  27,  or  deliverers ;  comp. 
Judges  3  :  9,  margin.  They  exercised  not  only  judicial, 
but  also  executive  and  even  kingly  powers  (i  Sam.  8  :  5) 
as  rulers  who  had  no  earthly  superiors.  See  Luke  22 : 
29,  30,  where  similar  highly  figurative  language  occurs, 
referring  apparently  to  the  fact  that  the  principles  of  the 
Gospel  which  they  preached  would  decide  on  the  admis- 


XIX.  29-]  CHAPTER  XIX.  95 

sion  of  others  into  heaven,  or  tlieir  rejection,  in  accord- 
ance with  their  faith  and  conduct ;  (see  26  :  29).  The 
authority  with  which  the  apostles  were  invested,  and 
which  adhered  exclusively  to  their  ofificial  character  on 
earth,  and  to  their  inspired  writings  which  constitute  the 
permanent  rule  of  faith  of  the  Christian  Church,  was 
derived  from  the  appointment  of  Christ  alone.  These 
revelations  of  the  efihcacy  and  success  of  the  future  labors 
of  the  disciples,  to  which  no  limits  in  time  are  assigned 
(comp.  28 :  20),  are  made  to  them  on  this  occasion  for  the 
purpose  of  comforting  their  hearts  and  assuring  them  of 
their  Master's  love.  The  general  sense  then  is,  that  a 
part  of  their  reward  will  consist  in  the  privilege  of  being 
honored  instruments  of  God,  in  promoting  the  divine 
glory  and  the  happiness  of  man. 

"'  And  every  one  that  hath  left  houses,  or  brothers,  or  sisters,  or  father, 
or  mother,  or  children,  or  lands,  for  my  name's  sake,  shall  receive  a  hun- 
dredfold, and  shall  inherit  eternal  life. 

A.  The  Lord  had  hitherto  spoken  of  the  reward  "  now 
in  this  time,"  Mark  10  :  30  (=world),  which  should  be 
given  to  His  faithful  disciples,  as  far  as  it  consisted  in  the 
success  in  this  world  of  their  personal  labors.  Their 
future  reward  "  in  the  world  to  come  "  (Mark)^^everlast- 
ing  life,  is  now  mentioned  as  one  in  which  others  shall 
share. — B.  Every  one=who  truly  consecrates  himself  to 
God  shall  be  saved,  without  reference  (according  to  the 
Lord's  mode  of  calculating  the  value  of  the  widow's  two 
mites,  Mark  12  :  43),  to  the  visible  or  outward  amount  of 
his  works,  as  a  rich  or  poor,  influential  or  obscure,  learned 
or  unlearned,  old  or  young  disciple  (2  Tim.  4  :  8).  "  She 
hath  done  zvhat  she  could'''  (Mark  14  ;  8.) — C  That  hath 
.  .  .  name's  sake.  The  Lord  had  on  a  former  occasion 
(10  :  37,  38),  illustrated  the  nature  of  self-denial  viewed  as 
the   necessary  result   of  Christian   faith.     Here  He  again 


96  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xix.  30. 

refers  to  such  witnesses  of  self-denial.  He  teaches  by  the 
phrase  :  for  my  name's  sake  (for  which  see  10  :  22,  B.) 
that  such  renunciation  of  every  tie  formed  by  nature  or 
affection  is  expected,  when  no  choice  remains  between 
fidelity  to  him  and  his  religious  duty  ("  and  the  Gospel's 
sake,"  Mark  10  :  29)  on  the  one  hand,  or  the  sacrifice  of 
every  earthly  comfort  and  advantage,  on  the  other.  The 
sense  of  the  whole  passage,  according  to  i  Cor.  7  :  29-31, 
then  is:  No  claim  which  others  possess  on  our  love  can 
justify  any  act  of  unfaithfulness  to  Christ  (see  10  :  37). — 
D.  Shall  receive  a  hundredfold=already  in  this  present 
life,  according  to  Mark  10  :  30  ;  Luke  18  :  30 ;  "  with  per- 
secutions," is  an  addition  found  in  Mark.  The  sense  is 
explained  by  passage  like  i  Cor.  3  :  22  ;  2  Cor.  6:10;  i 
Tim.  6  :  6,  and  Matt.  ch.  10,  all  of  which  refer  to  the  abun- 
dant gifts  of  grace  and  to  God's  protecting  care  of  His  faith- 
ful people.  "  Much  food  is  in  the  tillage  of  the  poor," 
(Prov.  13  :  23).  The  followers  of  Christ  are  strengthened 
in  their  "  light  affliction  "  (2  Cor.  4  :  17),  by  their  faith  and 
their  hope  of  future  glory  and  peace. — A  hundredfold  (13  : 
8,  B.)=their  eternal  gain  shall  be  far  greater  than  their 
temporal  loss  (comp.  i  Chron.  21  :  3.) — E.  And  shall 
inherit,  etc.=shall  find  eternal  rest  and  joy  in  heaven 
(Rev.  21  :  4).  For  the  force  of  the  word  life,  see  7:13,  14, 
ann, 

^°  But  many  shall  be  last  that  are  first ;  and  first  that  are  last. 

The  experience  of  believers  teaches  that  when  they  do 
not  strictly  watch  over  their  hearts,  the  great  value  and 
abundance  of  their  spiritual  privileges  and  graces  may,  by 
a  perversion  of  "  that  which  is  good  "  (Rom.  7:13)  tempt 
them  to  "be  exalted  above  measure"  (2  Cor.  12  :  7). 
The  Saviour  desires  to  preserve  His  disciples,  whose 
honorable  position  He  has  just  described,  from  indulging 
in   pride   and   vain-glory.     Hence   He    pronounces   these 


XIX.  30.1  CHAPTER  XIX.  (j'j 

words  now,  repeats  them  immediately  afterwards  (20  :  16), 
and  elsewhere  recurs  to  them,  (Luke  13  :  30).  The 
general  sense,  which  will  be  made  more  apparent  by  the 
examination  of  the  parable  (see  20  :  6,  A.),  which  is  im- 
mediately added,  is  : — Great  differences  in  the  advantages 
bestowed  on  men  are  found,  such  as  priority  in  the  time 
of  the  calling  of  an  individual,  the  abundance  of  the  gifts 
of  divine  grace,  the  choice  of  the  Jewish  nation  as  the 
people  of  God,  and  "  children  of  the  covenant  "  (Acts  3  : 
25),  the  number  of  the  years  and  the  amount  of  the  labors 
in  the  Christian  Church  which  believers  have  been  able  to 
give  to  God's  service,  etc.  These  are  all  circumstances 
which,  as  they  do  not  confer  personal  merit,  seeing  that 
all  the  wisdom  and  strength  displayed,  were  imparted  by 
God,  cannot  entitle  to  a  special  reward.  The  disciples 
are,  it  is  true,  the  "  first  "  when  the  Saviour  called  ;  yet 
others  may  arise  in  the  Church,  after  their  day,  whose 
faith,  love  and  humility,  will  be  so  deep,  that  even 
apostles  cannot  take  rank  before  them.  Accordingly,  St. 
Paul  makes  no  distinction  between  his  own  reward  and 
that  of  "  all  them  "  that  are  true  believers  (2  Tim.  4  ;  8). 
This  verse  and  the  following  parable  contain,  therefore, 
very  solemn  warnings  against  spiritual  pride. 
7 


CHAPTER  XX. 

'  For  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  Hke  unto  a  man  that  is  a  householder, 
which  went  out  early  in  the  morning  to  hire  laborers  into  his  vineyard. 

A.  For.  This  introductory  word  indicates  that  the 
parable  which  immediately  succeeds,  is  very  intimately 
connected  with  the  conversation  recorded  at  the  close  of 
the  foregoing  chapter,  and  should  not  have  been  separated 
from  that  conversation  by  those  who  divided  the  text 
into  chapters  and  verses.  The  previous  words  of  the 
Lord  (see  above,  19  :  30,  ann.)  had  contained  a  solemn 
warning  against  that  spiritual  pride  or  religious  self- 
complacency  which  may  arise  in  Christians  (comp.  2  Cor. 
12  :  7),  unless  they  strictly  watch,  and  are  specially  sus- 
tained by  divine  grace  in  such  a  temptation.  It  is  the 
main  purpose  of  the  parable  to  teach  that  no  amount  of 
labors  in  the  service  of  God,  nor  any  long  period  of  time 
devoted  to  that  service,  nor  any  result  produced  by 
human  instrumentality,  can  impart  to  any  man  a  right 
and  title  to  the  gifts  of  God,  before  whom  even  the  most 
faithful  continue  to  be  "  unprofitable  servants  "  (Luke 
17:  10);  this  principle  applies  alike  to  all  men  (Rom. 
4  :  2-5).  The  parable  refers  first  to  Peter  and  the  dis- 
ciples ("ye  which  have,  etc.,"  19:  28),  teaching  them  that 
while  their  fidelity  shall  be  rewarded,  priority  in  the  time 
of  their  call,  and  important  results  of  their  labors,  do  not 
entitle  them  to  a  higher  reward  than  others  may  receive, 

who  are   called  after  the   age  of   the   apostles,  but  who 

98 


XX.  I.]  CHAPTER  XX.  99 

exhibit  equal  faith  and  love.  Paul  was  called  after  all 
the  other  apostles;  yet  he  labored  more  abundantly  than 
they  all  (i  Cor.  15  :  8-10).  Then,  secondly,  the  Lord 
refers  to  all  His  other  followers,  whom  He  had  already 
mentioned  ("  and  every  one,  etc.,"  19  :  29),  teaching  them 
that  while  the  Jews  were  indeed  the  people  originally 
chosen  by  God  (Deut.  4  :  31-38  ;  14  :  2  ;  Acts  3  :  25,  26  ; 
Rom.  9  :  4),  other  nations  should,  at  a  later  period,  also 
receive  a  divine  call,  and  constitute  a  peculiar  people,  to 
whom  even  greater  privileges  should  be  granted  in  the 
Christian  Church  than  those  which  the  mere  descendants 
of  Abraham  had  ever  enjoyed  (i  Pet.  i  :  11,  12;  Hebr. 
8  :  6).  The  circumstance  that  the  original  founders  of 
such  nations  had  once  been  pagan  should  not  operate 
injuriously  on  later  generations  that  accepted  the  divine 
call  in  a  spirit  of  faith  and  obedience  (comp.  i  Pet. 
2  :  3-10).  The  foregoing  words  (19  :  30),  when  spoken 
in  the  connection  in  which  they  appear  in  Luke  13  : 
30,  clearly  show  that  they  describe  God  as  judging  men, 
not  according  to  the  relations  of  time  or  personal  labor, 
but  according  to  the  nature  of  their  faith  in  Christ. — B. 
The  kingdom  of  heaven  (see  Excursus  L,  vol.  L).  Here 
the  term  refers  generally  to  the  service  of  God,  who  is 
viewed  as  the  sole  and  eternal  Lawgiver  and  Ruler  of  all ; 
it  does  not  represent  the  Christian  Church  exclusively,  nor 
the  Christian  dispensation  as  contra-distinguished  from 
the  old  covenant,  nor  eternal  blessedness,  but,  in  a  wide 
sense,  comprehends  all  the  past  manifestations  of  God's 
desire  to  render  men  happy  by  attaching  them  to  His 
special  service. — C.  Is  like  unto  (see  1 3  :  24,  B.,  and  18:23, 
B.). — D.  Householder=owner  of  the  estate,  head  of  the 
family,  as  in  10  :  25  ;  13  :  27.  This  person,  whose  title 
implies  that  he  has  the  right  and  power  to  administer  his 
property  and  affairs  according  to  his  own  will,  is  an  image 


lOO  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xx.  i. 

of  the  divine  and  uncontrolled  Lord  and  Creator  of  all 
things,  in  so  far  as  he  illustrates  the  divine  mode  of  con- 
ferring undeserved  blessings.  It  is,  however,  to  be  ob- 
served, that  comparisons  made  in  a  parable  between  God 
and  any  created  object,  can  refer  only  to  particular  points 
of  resemblance.  Such  a  point  here  is  the  similarity  in 
the  amount  of  the  portion  allotted  to  different  classes  of 
persons.  Minor  circumstances  are  simply  introduced, 
like  the  drapery  of  a  picture  for  the  purpose  of  complet- 
ing the  narrative,  and  do  not  necessarily  represent  spirit- 
ual things  (compare  the  equal  numbers  of  the  wise  and 
foolish  virgins,  Matt.  25:2;  the  wine  and  oil  employed 
by  the  Good  Samaritan,  Luke  10  :  34).  So  here  the 
householder  is  simply  a  human  being,  and  the  men  whom 
he  hires,  are,  in  this  respect,  his  equals,  originally  owing 
him  neither  allegiance  nor  labor,  whereas,  precisely  the 
opposite  is  the  case  in  the  relations  existing  between  the 
Head  and  the  members  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Such 
circumstances  have  as  little  a  necessary  connection  with 
the  main  design  of  the  parable  as  the  spectator  finds 
between  a  book  or  table  or  chair  painted  on  the  canvas 
and  the  portrait  of  a  person  who  is  presented  to  his  views. 
— E.  To  hire  laborers.  God  has  assigned  a  work  to 
each  individual  on  earth — it  is  the  promotion  of  the 
divine  honor  (Luke  17  :  7-10).  This  householder's  early 
call  to  the  laborers  doubtless  illustrates  the  divine  com- 
mands which  were  issued  as  soon  as  human  beings 
existed,  and  which  direct  them  to  "  walk  with  God  " 
(Gen.  5  :  22  ;  6  :  9 ;  17:1).  He  hires=engages  to  pay 
wages  for  temporary  services,  according  to  usage  in 
earthly  transactions.  The  spiritual  meaning  may  be 
found  in  the  words  :  "  He  first  loved  us"  (i  John,  4  :  10, 
i9)=God  seeks  us  out,  with  a  view  to  bless  us.  No  man 
cams   a  reward  for    serving  God,  to  whom   He   already 


XX.  2.]  CHAPTER  XX.  loi 

owes  all  that  he  is,  and  has,  and  can  do  (i  Cor.  4:7; 
James  i  :  17,  andcomp.  John  15  :  16).  Nevertheless,  God 
will,  in  His  bounty,  abundantly  reward  the  obedient  and 
faithful  (Gal.  6  :  9),  which  truth  alone  is  here  shadowed 
forth.  The  laborers  represent  men  in  general,  who  are 
all  commanded  to  serve  God. — F.  Vineyard.  Such  en- 
closures, in  which  grape-vines  were  cultivated,  were  very 
numerous  in  Palestine  in  ancient  times  (see  21  :  33,  C). 
The  vineyard,  the  vine,  grapes,  etc.,  are  frequently  em- 
ployed in  Scripture  as  images  or  figures  of  the  mercies  of 
God  (Dcut.  32:32;  Ps.  80:8-15;  Isai.  5:1-7;  Jer. 
12  :  10;  comp.  21  :  28,  33,  C.).  Israel  is  called  a  vine  in 
Jer.  2:21,  and  Christ  applies  the  name  to  Himself  in  John 
15:1.  The  vineyard,  in  this  case,  as  an  image  of  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,  represents  the  service  of  God  on 
earth  during  the  whole  extent  of  time,  from  the  original 
call  given  to  man  to  enter  that  service  ("  early  in  the 
morning  ")  to  the  end  of  the  world  ("  when  even  was 
come,"v.  8).  The  vineyard  or  field  of  the  apostles  was 
the  world {i'^  :  38),  that  is,  the  human  race  which  was  to 
be  brought  back  to  God.  The  vineyard  of  each  indi- 
.vidual  is  the  w^ork  assigned  to  him  by  the  Lord  in  refer- 
ence to  his  own  soul,  the  good  of  others,  and  the  glory  of 
God.  The  Lord  purposely  omits  to  specify  the  ki)id  of 
work  (digging,  trimming  the  vines,  etc.),  inasmuch  as  the 
Christian's  work,  whether  it  be  the  preaching  of  the 
Gospel,  or  the  giving  of  a  cup  of  cold  water  to  the 
thirsty  (Matt.  10  :  42),  will,  in  either  case,  find  a  reward 
when  performed  in  faith ;  but  in  both  cases  it  gives 
"  nothing  to  glory  of"  (see  i  Cor.  9  :  16,  17). 

^  And  when  he  had  agreed  with  the  labourers  for  a  penny  a  day,  he  sent 
them  into  his  vineyard. 

A.     When  .  .  .  agreed.     Fallen  man  is    "  condemned 
already,"   and   under   the   divine   wrath  (John   3:18,  36). 


I02  THE  GOSPEL  OE  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xx.  2. 

Nevertheless,  God  offered  to  us  terms  of  pardon  and  sal- 
vation even  "when  we  were  enemies"  (Rom.  5  :  8,  10). 
These  terms  are  set  forth  in  the  Scriptures  as  consisting 
in  repentance  of  our  sins  and  faith  in  the  crucified  Re- 
deemer (Acts  20  :  21  ;  Hebr.  11:6;  2  Pet.  3  :  9).  Inas- 
much as  he  will  introduce  none  into  heaven  who  retain 
rebellious  hearts,  these  terms  must  be  humbly  and  vol- 
untarily embraced  by  man  (Ezek.  18  :  31  ;  33  :  11).  In 
so  far  the  course  of  God  resembles  that  of  the  house- 
holder, that  He  makes  His  will  known,  and  affords  to  men 
the  means  and  opportunities  to  accede  to  them.  The 
old  covenant  was  made  through  Moses  (Exod.  19:5; 
Deut.  5:2);  the  new,  through  Christ  (John  i  :  17;  Rom. 
5:1;  Hebr.  12  :  18-24).  The  latter  is  the  better  cove- 
nant (Hebr.  8  :  6-13  ;  2  Cor.  3:4-1 1. — B.  Penny  a  day 
=by  the  day,  ox,  for  that  day.  No  special  meaning  is  to 
be  attached  to  the  precise  sum  (=14  cents;  see  17  :  24, 
B.).  The  penny  cannot  here  be  an  image  of  eternal  life, 
for  certainly  the  gift  of  eternal  life  would  never  be  fol- 
lowed by  such  murmuring  as  we  hear  in  ver.  11.  It  may, 
possibly,  represent  those  gifts  which  God's  grace  bestows 
in  this  life,  such  as  the  great  privileges  granted  to  Jews 
and  Christians  respectively.  The  penny  or  denarius  was 
the  usual  amount  paid  at  that  time  for  one  day's  labor, 
and  constituted  the  ordinary  daily  pay  of  the  Roman 
soldier.  It  was  of  much  greater  value  than  14  cents 
are  in  modern  currency,  that  is,  it  could  pay  for  a  larger 
quantity  of  food,  and  may  be  assumed  to  be  fully  equal 
to  the  amount  now  paid  for  daily  labor,  since  the  dis- 
covery of  gold  and  silver  in  America  and  elsewhere  in 
modern  times  has  diminished  the  value  of  those  metals. 
The  best  authorities  maintain  that  silver  at  the  period 
when  Christ  appeared,  was  ten  times  as  valuable  as  it  is 
at  present ;  the  penny  was  therefore  really  equivalent  to 


XX.  3]  CHAPTER  XX.  103 

40.  Hence  the  "  two  pence  "  advanced  by  the  good 
Samaritan  (Luke  10  :  35)  constituted  a  hberal  provision. 
The  day  is  here  the  portion  of  time  devoted  to  manual 
labor,  "  from  even  unto  even  "  (Levit.  23  :  32). 

3  And  he  went  out  about  the  third  hour,  and  saw  others  standmg  in  the 
market  place  idle ; 

A.  The  different  hours  here  mentioned  cannot  be  sat- 
isfactorily explained  as  indicating  specific  eras  in  the 
history  of  revealed  religion,  such  as  the  ages  respectively 
of  Adam,  Noah,  Abraham,  Moses,  etc.,  neither  can  they 
exclusively  refer  to  the  childhood,  youth,  etc.,  of  the  in- 
dividual. They  appear  to  indicate  in  general  successive 
divine  calls  or  communications  of  divine  knowledge  made 
"at  sundry  times  and  in  divers  manners"  (Hebr.  i  :  i). 
These  began  historically  with  Adam,  continued  through 
the  age  of  the  patriarchs  (Abraham,  etc.),  and  were 
maintained,  after  that  of  Moses,  through  the  whole  later 
period  of  prophecy,  during  which  full  streams  of  religious 
knowledge  continually  flowed  from  heaven.  The  final 
revelation,  which  completes  the  measure  of  divine  truth 
that  was  to  be  imparted,  consists  in  the  Christian  religion 
(Hebr.  i  :  2).  Its  lessons,  calls  and  blessings,  proceed 
from  Palestine,  extended  to  Europe,  have  already  reached 
many  nations  of  the  earth,  and  will  continue  to  expand 
until  "  all  the  earth  shall  be  full  of  the  knowledge  of  the 
Lord  "  (Isai.  11  :  9).  At  the  same  time,  the  calls  of  God 
to  the  individual  are  similarly  made  in  the  early  life  of 
the  latter,  and  are  afterwards  continually  repeated  ;  im- 
penitence, when  obstinately  maintained,  consequently, 
results  in  an  ever  accumulating  weight  of  guilt. — B. 
Third  hour.  The  natural  day,  or  the  period  intervening 
between  sunrise  and  sunset,  was  divided  by  the  Jews, 
according  to  a  practice  borrowed  from  the  Chaldeans, 
into  twelve  hours  (John  1 1  :  g)  ;  the  length  of  the  latter 


I04  THE  GOSPEL  OE  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xx.  4. 

varied  at  different  seasons,  as  the  longest  day  in  Palestine 
consists,  according  to  our  mode  of  reckoning  time,  of  14 
hours  and  12  minutes,  the  shortest  of  9  hours  and  48  min- 
utes ;  an  hour  in  June  corresponded  in  length  to  one  in 
December,  as  14  is  related  to  10.  {K.  v.  Ranmcr :  Palcs- 
tina,  p.  89).  It  is  usually  assumed  that  the  first  Jewish 
hour  began,  upon  an  average,  at  our  6  o'clock,  and  that 
the  third  hour  accordingly  closed  at  our  9  o'clock  ;  but, 
strictly  speaking,  it  extended  from  our  8  o'clock  to  9 
o'clock  only  at  the  vernal  and  autumnal  equinoxes,  and 
came  earlier  or  later  at  other  seasons.  During  this  hour 
Peter  pronouncod  the  words  recorded  in  Acts  2:15. 
For  the  ivatcJies  of  the  night  (see  14  :  25,  A.),  and  for  the 
Roman  division  of  the  civil  day  (see  27  :  45,  A.). — C. 
riarket  place.  As  large  numbers  of  persons  assembled 
in  the  "public  place"  (for  which  see  ii  :  16,  17,  B.),  not 
merely  for  business  purposes,  but  also  for  pastime,  con- 
versation, etc.  (comp.  Acts  17  :  17),  unemployed  laborers 
found  employers  there  more  readily  than  elsewhere. 

*  And  to  them  he  said,  Go  ye  also  into  the  vineyard ;  and  whatsoever  is 
right  I  will  give  you.     And  they  went  their  way. 

A.  Go  .  .  .  vineyard.  God  permits  no  man  to  be 
idle  ;  in  His  service  all  can  find  employment;  the  debts 
which  we  owe  to  our  own  souls,  and  to  God,  like  those 
which  we  owe  to  our  neighbor  (Rom.  13:8),  are  never 
fully  paid. — B.  Whatsoever  is  Tighter ighteotcs,  Just, 
as  the  word  is  usually  translated.  Strictly  speaking,  their 
wages  would  amount  to  three-fourths  of  the  sum  promised 
to  the  first  laborers.  But,  on  the  one  hand,  a  mercenary 
spirit  is  inconsistent  with  that  genuine  love  to  God,  which 
teaches  man  to  submit  all  his  affairs  to  divine  wisdom 
and  goodness,  and,  on  the  other  the  "  free  gift  "  of  justi- 
fication (Rom.  5  :  15),  is  bestowed  by  a  "  God  who  is  rich 


XX.  5,  6.]  CHAPTER  XX.  105 

in  mercy  "(Eph.  2:4),  and  who  "  giveth  to  all  men 
liberally  "  (James  i  :  5). 

■*  Again  he  went  out  about  the  sixth  and  the  ninth  hour,  and  did  Hkewise. 

These  hours  correspond  in  general  terms  to  our  midday 
or  12  o'clock,  and  3  o'clock,  P.  M.;  see  ver.  3,  B. 

*  And  about  the  eleventh  hour  he  went  out,   and   found  others  standing 
and  he  saith  unto  them,  Why  stand  ye  here  all  the  day  idle  ? 

A.  Eleventh  hour^about  the  time  when  the  last  one 
of  the  twelve  parts  of  the  day  commenced.  The  Parables, 
like  many  of  the  brief  sayings  of  Christ,  are  capable  of 
being  variously  applied,  and  have  been  aptly  compared 
to  polished  diamonds  which  sparkle  in  every  direction 
Still,  it  is  important  to  distinguish  between  the  true, 
original  sense  of  a  scriptural  passage,  and  any  special 
or  practical  application  which  may  be  made  of  it  in  the 
experience  of  an  individual.  The  aged  or  dying  sinner 
who  sincerely  repents  and  believes,  may  be  said  to  have 
found  God  at  the  eleventh  hour;  nevertheless,  this  par- 
able originally  and  directly  refers  to  a  different  circum- 
stance, as  the  words  in  19  :  27-30  show.  It  is  not 
intended  to  set  forth  the  value  of  a  death-bed  repentance  ; 
such  an  event,  when  it  really  does  occur,  will  gratify 
experienced  and  aged  Christians,  and  certainly  not  extort 
from  them  the  murmurs  which  proceed  in  (ver.  11)  from 
the  laborers  who  were  first  hired.  The  Saviour  rather 
refers  to  the  following  circumstance  :  The  Jewish  nation 
w'as  called  at  an  early  period,  while  all  Gentiles  were 
suffered  for  centuries  "  to  walk  in  their  own  ways  "  (Acts 
14:16).  The  Jews  ultimately  adopted  the  belief  that 
they  alone,  as  Abraham's  descendants,  would  share  in  the 
blessings  of  the  Messiah's  kingdom,  while  the  heathen 
should  remain  outcasts.  Even  the  early  Christians,  who 
were  converted  from  Judaism,  with  great  difficulty 
learned  to  understand  that  Gentiles  might  become  Chris- 


Io6  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xx.  7. 

tians,  and  be  admitted  to  every  privilege  conferred  an 
Abraham's  descendants,  without  having  previously 
observed  the  laws  of  Moses  (Acts  11  :  1-4).  Thus  the 
Jews  "  were  filled  with  wrath,"  when  the  Lord  alluded  to 
the  divine  mercy  granted  to  Gentiles  (Luke  4: 25-28), 
and  Paul  describes  the  truth  as  a  mystery  to  the  Jews  for 
many  ages  "  that  the  Gentiles  should  be  fellow-heirs,  etc." 
(Eph.  4 : 4-6).  This  jealousy  is  described  under  the  figure 
of  the  murmurs  mentioned  in  vcr.  11,  and  is  again 
presented  in  the  conduct  and  language  of  the  Prodigal's 
elder  brother  (Luke  15:25-30).  Hence,  the  calling  of 
the  Gentiles  at  a  late  period  of  the  world,  as  described  in 
Rom.  ch.  II,  is  doubtless  indicated  by  the  act  of  hiring 
the  laborers  at  the  eleventh  hour,  as  the  primary  spiritual 
sense  (comp.  the  ann.  to  19:30). — B.  Idle=not  activel)^ 
engaged  in  the  service  of  the  true  God.  The  Scriptures 
represent  idleness  or  sloth  in  God's  service  as  wicked  and 
ruinous  (Matt.  25  :  26  ;  Prov.  24  :  30-34).  Man  is  the 
servant  either  of  God,  or  of  sin  and  death  (Rom.  6:  16). 
The  idleness  of  the  Gentile  nations,  with  all  its  horrible 
features  and  deadly  influence,  is  described  in  Rom.  ch.  i. 

'  They  say  unto  him,  Because  no  man  liatli  hired  us,  He  saith  unto  them, 
Go  ye  also  into  the  vineyard. 

A.  No  .  .  ,  hired  us.  The  language  is  such  as 
laborers  in  similar  circumstances  would  employ,  simply 
shadowing  forth  the  historical  fact  mentioned  in  Deut. 
4 :  32-34,  that  the  Gentile  world  had  never  yet  received 
such  direct  calls  as  those  which  had  reached  the  Jewish 
nation.  The  Gentiles  possessed  no  knowledge  of  Christ 
and  His  atoning  work  ;  neither  had  they  any  knowledge 
of  the  divine  purpose  of  receiving  them  into  the  Messiah's 
Church  (Rom.  16:  25,  26  ;  Col.  i  :  27).  But,  on  the  other 
hand,  they  had  lost  the  knowledge  of  the  true  God  by 
their    own    fault  :     the   unutterable    wretchedness    which 


XX.  8.]  CHAPTER  XX.  107 

resulted  (Eph.  2:11,  12),  continued  until  the  coming  of 
Christ  (Acts  14:16;  17:30;  Rom.  i  :  28  ;  11:8-32).  If 
the  Gentiles  who  had  refrained  from  serving  God,  in  con- 
sequence of  ignorance,  voluntarily  maintained  by  them 
are  declared  by  divine  authority  to  be  "  without  excuse  " 
(Rom.  I  :  20),  can  any  excuse  be  found  for  the  impenitence 
or  religious  sloth  of  a  single  individual  who  dwells  in  a 
land  in  which  the  light  of  the  Gospel  shines  ? 

*  And  when  even  was  come,  the  Lord  of  the  vineyard  saith  unto  his 
steward,  Call  the  labourers,  and  pay  them  their  hire,  beginning  from  the  last 
unto  the  first. 

A.  When  even  wascome=the  appointed  time  for  pay- 
ing wages,  according  to  Deut.  24:  15.  The  close  of  the 
season  of  labor,  is,  according  to  some  interpreters,  an  im- 
age of  the  end  of  the  w^orld,  and  of  the  judgment  which 
succeeds.  According  to  another,  and  far  more  consistent, 
interpretation,  founded  on  the  circumstances  that  the 
murmurs  mentioned  in  ver.  1 1,  occurred  among  the  Jews 
chiefly  in  the  age  of  Christ  (ver.  6,  A.),  the  even  (=even- 
ing)  is  here  introduced  as  a  natural  feature  in  the  narra- 
tive, and  simply  indicates  the  time  when  the  mystery  of 
the  calling  of  the  Gentiles  was  fully  revealed,  that  is,  after 
the  ascension  of  Christ,  at  the  beginning  of  the  apostolic 
age,  according  to  Eph.  3  :  4-6. — B.  Steward.  In  two 
other  passages,  (Luke  8:3;  Gal.  4  :  2),  stewards  {epitropoi) 
are  mentioned  ;  in  the  latter,  the  Greek  word  is  equivalent 
to  g2iardians  ;  in  the  former  case,  Herod's  steward  was 
an  of^cer  who  superintended  the  revenues  of  the  king. 
The  other  stcivards  mentioned  in  the  English  N.  T.  bear 
a  different  Greek  name  {oikonomoi)  equivalent  to  Jioiise- 
managcr,  overseer.  Persons  of  the  former  class,  whose 
well-known  ability  and  fidelity  secured  such  an  appoint- 
ment, even  when  they  were  not  simply  confidential  serv- 
ants (see  24  :  45,  B.},  nevertheless  held  a  rank  which  was 


io8  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xx.  9. 

far  inferior  to  that  of  their  employers.  It  is  hence  not 
probable  that  the  steward  in  this  verse  is  an  image  of 
Christ,  the  "  son  over  his  own  house  "  (Hebr.  3  :  6).  This 
steward  does  not  here  pronounce  a  judgment  on  the  con- 
duct of  the  individuals,  and  exercises  no  authority  of  his 
own,  but  is  simply  introduced  for  the  purpose  of  complet- 
ing the  narrative,  like  the  servants  in  13  :  27,  and  the  host 
in  Luke  10  :  35.  On  the  other  hand,  Christ  will  here- 
after judge  the  living  and  the  dead  (Matt.  16  :  27;  25  : 
31,  ff.  John  5  :  22-27  ;  Acts  10  :  42  :  17  :  31  ;  2  Cor.  5  :  10), 
and  He  will  execute  judgment  according  to  His  own  divine 
authority  and  wisdom.— C.  Beginning,  etc.  Our  Lord 
adopts  this  order  in  the  parable,  for  the  purpose  of  giv- 
ing more  prominence  in  the  latter  part  of  it  to  the  fact 
that  the  first  laborers  received  no  more  than  the  last. 

9  And  when  they  came  that  were  hired  about  the  eleventh  hour,  they  re- 
ceived every  man  a  penny. 

These  laborers  receive  far  more  than  they  had  earned  ; 
this  circumstance  illustrates  the  scriptural  doctrine  that 
no  man  can  ever  earn  or  deserve  the  grace  of  God  (Gen. 
32  :  10;  Luke  17  :  10;  Rom.  3  :  24).  "  Here  we  learn 
from  the  circumstance  that  the  same  amount  is  paid  for 
unequal  periods  of  labor,  that  God  will  not  deal  with  us 
according  to  our  merits  or  works,  but  will  grant  to  every 
believer,  whether  he  have  wrought  much  or  little,  tlic  same 
penny,  tliat  is,  His  Son,  Jesus  Christ,  and  through  Him  for- 
giveness, the  gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  eternal  life. 
The  penny  is  promised  by  divine  grace,  in  order  that  all 
may  labor  with  diligence,  fidelity  and  hope ;  but  it  is  not 
intended  to  be  an  equivalent  for  work  that  is  done — it 
exceeds  the  merits  of  all." — LUTHER.  If  God,  in  His  in- 
finite love,  gives  to  the  most  unworthy  of  true  believers, 
first,  Jesus   Christ  on  earth,  and   then,  heaven  hereafter 


XX.  IO-I2.  CHAPTER  XX.  log 

("  all   things  are   yours,"  i    Cor.  3  :  21,  22  ;   Rom.  8  :  32), 
what  more  can   He  give  to  others  ? 

'°  And  when  the  first  came,  they  supposed  that  they  would  receive  more; 
and  they  likewise  received  every  man  a  penny. 

A.  The  first  .  .  .  more.  They  inferred  that  if  those 
who  had  wrought  only  one  hour,  received  full  pay,  they 
would  themselves  receive  more  than  the  stipulated 
amount.  Their  error  consisted  in  regarding  not  only  the 
penny  but  also  any  additional  payment  as  wages  earned 
by  them,  not  as  a  gift  proceeding  from  the  bounty  of  the 
householder.  The  Lord  here  presents  a  view  of  the  mer- 
cenary and  self-righteous  spirit  of  the  Jews  (comp.  18  : 
II,  12).  It  was  an  ostentatious  (Matt.  23  :  5),  and  hypo- 
critical spirit  (Matt.  23  :  25-27),  and  hence  could  not  re- 
ceive the  divine  approbation.  The  lesson  which  the  Lord 
appears  to  teach  is  this: — If  ye  Jews  expect  to  earn  or 
deserve  divine  blessings,  be  assured  that  all  your  expecta- 
tions, founded  on  your  outward  righteousness,  will  be  dis- 
appointed ;  you  will  fail  to  obtain  grace  ;  divine  bounty 
will  be  extended  to  the  meek  and  contrite  alone.  Your 
works  of  the  law,  wrought  in  a  mercenary  spirit,  attract 
no  divine  favor. — B.  They  likewise,  etc.  "  There  are 
various  ranks  in  the  world,  kings  and  peasants,  rich  and 
poor.  But  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  the  prince  and  the 
beggar,  the  bond  and  the  free,  meet  on  equal  terms,  and 
are  alike.  They  have  the  same  Gospel  and  Sacraments, 
the  same  Saviour  and  God.  Do  thy  duty  on  earth  with 
a  cheerful  heart,  in  whatever  condition  thou  mayest  be. 
Though  thou  shouldst  not  be  a  prince,  yet,  if  thou  art  a 
Christian,  what  more  canst  thou  desire?" — LUTHER, 
(comp.  I  Pet.  2:9;  Rev.  i  :  6  ;  5  :  10). 

",  '^  And  when  they  received  it,  they  murmured  against  the  householder, 
Saying,  These  last  have  spent  but  one  hour,  and  thou  hast  made  them  equal 
unto  us,  which  have  borne  the  burden  of  the  day  and  the  scorching  heat. 


no  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xx.  13. 

A,  Murmured=cxpressed  their  discontent  in  a  low 
sullen  voice. — B.  The  householder.  The  same  Greek 
term  occurs  again  in  10  :  25  ;  21  :  33  ;  24  :  43. — C.  Burden 
.  .  .  heat.  The  labor  performed  in  the  hot  season  during 
the  day  (Gen.  31  :  40),  is  compared  by  them  to  a  heavy 
burden.  These  men  represent  the  Jews,  who  believed 
that  the  subjection  of  their  nation  for  many  centuries  to 
the  heavy  yoke  of  the  law  (Acts  15  :  10),  gave  them  a 
better  title  to  the  blessings  of  the  Messiah's  kingdom 
than  the  Gentiles  could  ever  acquire. 

"  But  he  answered  and  said  to  one  of  them,  Friend,  I  do  thee  no  wrong : 
didst  not  thou  agree  with  me  for  a  penny  .-' 

A.  One  of  them=represented  as  expressing  his  feel- 
ings more  loudly  and  boldly  than  the  others. — B.  Friend. 
The  same  mode  of  address  (in  Greek  :  hetairos)  occurs  in 
22  :  12  ;  26  :  50,  and  merely  designates  one  with  whom 
an  association  of  any  kind  (here  that  of  employer  and 
the  person  employed)  had  existed  for  a  longer  or  shorter 
time.  It  is  sometimes  equivalent  to  comrade,  as  in  1 1  :  16, 
B.  Another  Greek  word  {philos),  also  translated  friend 
(e.  g.  Luke  y  '.6;  11:6;  14  :  10),  usually  gives  more  prom- 
inence to  the  personal  attachment  of  the  parties.  The 
word  in  the  text  is  not  used  ironically,  but  simply  implies 
that  the  householder  is  calm,  courteous,  and  firm  in  dis- 
pensing his  gifts. — C.  No  wrong.  As  the  first  laborers 
originally  contracted  for  full  wages,  and  did  not  view  the 
transaction  as  a  special  favor,  but  as  one  that  gave  the 
householder  an  equivalent  for  his  money,  so  the  self- 
righteous  Jews  regarded  the  religious  services  which  they 
and  their  fathers  had  rendered  (worship,  sacrifices,  pray- 
ers, alms,  fasting),  as  meritorious.  They  forgot  that  they 
were  not  independent  of  God,  like  laborers  who  may  meet 
an  employer  as  his  fellow-citizens  and  equals,  but  that 
they  were,   on   the   contrary,   most   solemnly   bound,   as 


XX.  24.]  CHAPTER  XX.  Ill 

God's  creatures,  to  live  for  His  honor  and  service  alone. 
Hence  the  Saviour  implies  in  this  verse  :  If  ye  Jews  con- 
vert the  covenant  of  your  fathers  with  God  into  a  cove- 
nant of  works,  then  abide  by  the  terms  which  you  have 
yourselves  preferred  (Rom.  10:5;  Exod.  19  :  5,  6  ;  Lev. 
18:5).  Now,  as  ye  do  not  keep  that  covenant  by  ful- 
filling the  law,  but  have  all  sinned  (Rom.  3  :  9,  10),  do 
not  complain  when  you  find  that  God,  who  has  *'  con- 
cluded all  in  unbelief"  (Rom.  11  :  32),  extends  His  mercy 
to  Gentiles  who  do  repent  and  believe  (Gal.  3  :  22).  Men 
are  not  saved  by  their  works  (Eph.  2  :  8),  otherwise 
"grace  is  no  more  grace"  (Rom.  11:5).  If  ye  desire 
salvation,  seek  it  as  a  gift  of  God  (Rom.  6  :  23),  and  do 
not  think  that  it  can  ever  be  claimed  as  a  right. — D. 
Didst  not,  etc.=has  God  ever  failed  to  keep  His  promise, 
when  ye  obeyed  Him  ? 

'■•  Take  up  that  which  is  thine,  and  go  thy  way:  It  is  my  will  to  give  unto 
this  last,  even  as  unto  thee. 

A.  Take  .  .  .  thine-=if  ye  and  your  fathers  have  wor- 
shipped God  according  to  the  ceremonial  law,  while  the 
Gentiles  have  worshipped  idols,  did  you  not  also  enjoy 
far  greater  privileges  and  blessings  than  those  Gentiles 
found?  (Rom.  3  :  i,  ff.  ;  9  :  4,  5  ;  Eph.  2:11,  12). — B. 
Go  thy  way.  The  language  implies  that  God  is  not  gov- 
erned by  human  passions,  but  is  unalterably  and  eternally 
just.  The  sentence  which  His  infinite  wisdom  has  once 
pronounced,  will  never  be  revoked. — C.  I  will  give,  etc. 
"  I  have  known  Christians  who  had  received  the  Lord 
Jesus  in  faith  only  a  few  months  or  years  before  their 
death ;  nevertheless,  they  died  in  faith,  and  they  are  now 
in  heaven.  I  have  myself  already  labored  in  the  service 
of  God  more  than  twenty  years  ;  yet  I  cannot  hope  to 
receive  more  than  they  who  labored  only  one  hour  in  the 


112  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xx.  15,  i6. 

vineyard." — LUTHER. — This   last=man,  who    represents 
the  group  that  entered  at  the  eleventh  hour. 

'*  Is  it  not  lawful  for  me  to  do  what  I  will  with  mine  own  ?  or  is  thine  eye 
evil,  because  I  am  good  ? 

A.  Is  it  .  .  .  own  ?=if  God,  in  His  infinite  mercy,  is 
pleased  to  admit  believing  Gentiles  to  all  the  privileges 
and  blessings  of  the  Messiah's  kingdom  on  earth,  as  well 
as  believing  Jews,  has  He  not  the  authority  to  do  so  ? 
(Rom.  9  :  24-33). — With  mine  own=in  my  affairs,  which 
depend  on  my  will  alone. — B.  Is  thine  eye,  etc.  In 
Mark  7  :  22  ;  Deut.  15:9;  Prov.  23  :  6  ;  28  :  22,  as  well 
as  here,  the  phrase  :  "  an  evil  eye  "  (which  in  Matt.  6  :  23 
has  the  general  sense  of  bad,  false,  wicked)  specially 
indicates  the  feeling  of  envy,  as  betrayed  in  the  eye  or 
countenance  of  one  who  sees  with  vexation  the  happiness 
of  another.  The  first  evil  eye  was  that  of  Cain  (Gen.  4  :  5). 
"  The  blessed  angels  might  murmur  and  be  envious  on 
seeing  that  their  Lord  '  took  not  on  Him  the  nature  of 
angels  '  (Hebr.  2  :  16),  but  the  nature  of  men,  who  were 
even  God's  enemies  (Rom.  5  :  10).  But,  on  the  contrary, 
they  praise  God  who  is  good  to  men,  and  say  :  '  Glory 
to  God,  etc'  (Luke  2  :  14)." — LUTIIER. 

'*  So  the  last  shall  be  first,  and  the  first  last. 

A.  So  the  .  .  .  last.  The  former  verse  contained 
words  spoken  by  the  householder;  here,  the  Lord  speaks 
in  His  own  person.  The  repetition  of  these  words  (which 
occur  in  19  :  30,  where  see  the  ann.)  with  a  slight  varia- 
tion that  does  not  affect  the  sense,  shows  that  the  whole 
parable  is  intended  to  illustrate  them.  The  last  laborers 
called  were  first  in  the  sense  that  they  received  a  com- 
paratively larger  amount  of  money  for  their  hour  than 
the  others.  The  sense,  as  explained  above,  coincides 
with  that  of  the  words  in  Rom.  1 1  :  25,  in  which  Paul 
describes  the  Gentiles,  who  are  called  long  after  the  Jews, 


XX.  17,  i8.]  CHAPTER  XX.  113 

as  "  coming  in,"  or  accepting  the  Gospel  before  them. 
""The  first  shall  be  the  last — such  words  teach  thee  to  cast 
off  all  arrogance  and  self-righteousness,  even  if  thou 
thinkest  that  thou  hast  equalled  an  Abraham,  David, 
Peter  or  Paul ;  for  others  may  reach  a  higher  degree  of 
humility  and  faith  than  thou  hast.  The  last  shall  be  the 
first — such  words  teach  thee  to  hope  and  not  despair, 
even  if  thou  believest  that  thou  hast  sinned  like  Pilate, 
Herod,  Sodom  and  Gomorrah." — LUTHER.  [For  exposi- 
tion of  "  Many  be  called,"  etc.,  see  22  :  14]. 

'^  And  as  Jesus  was  going  up  to  Jerusalem,  he  took  the  twelve  disciples 
apart,  and  in  the  way  he  said  unto  them, 

A.  Going  up^ascending  to  the  higher  region  of  coun- 
try in  which  the  city  was  situated  (comp.  Luke  2:4; 
Acts  18  :  22  ;  2  Sam.  19  :  34  ;  Ps.  122  :  i,  4).  This  jour- 
ney to  Jerusalem  (19  :  i)  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  the 
feast,  was  performed  by  every  Jew,  according  to  Exod. 
23  :  14;  Deut.  16  :  16.  The  disciples,  who  dreaded  the 
power  and  hatred  of  the  Lord's  enemies  in  that  city,  re- 
luctantly followed  (Mark  10  :  32  ;  John  11  :  7,  8,  16).  His 
sufferings  and  death  were  incurred  voluntarily  (comp. 
Isai.  50  :  6  and  John  10  :  18). — B.  Took,  etc.  Possibly 
the  locality  is  the  one  mentioned  in  John  1 1  :  54.  The 
city  there  named,  Ephraim,  was  not  far  distant  from 
Bethel  (2  Chron.  13  :  19),  and  not  far  from  Jericho 
whither  the  Lord  afterwards  came  (ver.  29).  The  words 
that  He  spoke  were  intended  for  the  disciples  alone. 

'*  Behold  we  go  up  to  Jerusalem ;  and  the  Son  of  man  shall  be  delivered 
unto  the  chief  priests  and  scribes:  and  they  shall  condemn  him  to  death. 

A.  Behold,  etc.  (See  ami.  to  16  :  21).  Several  par- 
ticulars not  introduced  in  that  passage,  nor  in  17  :  22,  23, 
are  here  added. — B.  5on  of  man  (see  8  :  20,  B.),  deliv" 
ered  17  :  22. — C.  Chief  priests— scribes=the  leaders 
of  the  Jews"; — shall  (will)  condemn — death  (26  :  66). 


114  ^-^^  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xx.  19,  20. 

''  And  shall  deliver  him  unto  the  Gentiles  to  mock,  and  to  scourge,  and 
to  crucify  ;  and  the  third  day  he  shall  be  raised  up. 

Qentiles^heathens  (4:  15,  16,   A.).     Here  the  Roman 

governor,  Pilate,  and  his   soldiers   are   specially  indicated 

(Acts  4  :  27), — mock   (see  2:16,  A.).     The  allusion  is  to 

scenes  like  those  described  in  27  -.29, — scourge  (27  :  26; 

see  10  :  17,  C), — crucify  (see  27  :  22,  B.).     The  Lord  had 

previously  spoken  of  the  cross  (10  :  38  ;   16  :  24) ;  but  on 

this  occasion  he  first  reveals  that  such  an  awful  death   as 

that  of  crucifixion  would  be  His  portion, — the  third  day, 

etc.  (16  :  21,   F.). 

^°  Then  came  to  him  the  mother  of  the  sons  of  Zebedee  with  her  sons, 
worshipping  him,  and  asking  a  certain  thing  of  him. 

A.  Then.  As  the  Lord  and  His  disciples  had  been 
previously  alone  (ver.  17),  this  word  indicates  that  the 
present  occurrence  took  place  after  he  had  joined  a  com- 
pany of  Jews  who  were  also  proceeding  to  Jerusalem,  in 
order  to  keep  the  feast. — B.  The  mother,  etc.  Zebedee, 
who  is  mentioned  in  4  :  21,  may  have  died  soon  after  the 
circumstances  there  described,  and  that  event  have  been 
indicated  by  terming  his  widow  "  the  mother  of,  etc." 
The  sons  are  the  two  disciples  James  and  John  (see  10  : 
2,  and  comp.  Mark  10  :  35).  The  name  of  their  mother, 
the  wife  of  Zebedee,  was  Salome,  as  a  comparison  of 
Matthew  27  :  56  with  Mark  15  :  40;  16  :  i,  shows.  She 
appears  to  have  been  the  sister  of  the  Virgin  Mary  (see 
13  :  55,  C.) ;  and  she  was  one  of  the  faithful  women  who 
"  followed  the  Lord  and  ministered  unto  Him  "  (Mark  1 5  : 
40,  41).  Her  two  sons  and  Peter  had  already  been  dis- 
tinguished by  their  Master  above  the  other  disciples  (see 
17:1,  B.),  and  one  of  them,  John,  was  specially  known 
as  "  the  beloved  disciple  "  (John  13  :  23)  indicating  a  deep 
love  to  Christ  on  his  own  part,  which  urged  him  to  seek 
perpetual    communion    with  his    Master.     He    and    his 


XX.  21.]  CHAPTER  XX.  115 

brother,  like  others,  at  this  period  still  erroneously  be- 
lieved "  that  the  kingdom  of  God  should  immediately 
appear  "  (Luke  19  :  i  i)=that  a  temporal  kingdom  of  the 
Messiah  should  be  established,  and  they  feared  any  in- 
terruption of  their  continual  personal  intercourse  with 
the  Lord.  At  the  same  time,  while  they  reveal  genuine 
confidence  in  Christ  and  in  the  success  of  His  cause,  a 
carnal  ambition  may  have  been  aroused  in  their  souls. 
They  thought  of  Jonathan  and  Abner,  each  of  whom  was 
seated  in  a  place  of  honor,  at  the  right  and  left  hand  of 
Saul,  according  to  ancient  traditions  {/osep/ais,  Antiq.  6, 
II,  9)  ;  in  such  cases  no  pre-eminence  in  honor  belonged 
to  the  right  hand  (Prov.  3:16;  see  22  :  44,  B.  ;  25  :  33 
and  26  :  64,  C).  The  two  sons,  anxious  to  acquire  a 
similar  distinction  in  the  new  temporal  kingdom,  unite 
with  their  mother  (comp.  v.  24  and  Mark  10  :  35)  who 
had  with  others  now  joined  them  (and  to  whom  they  had 
probably  communicated  the  promise  in  19  :  28)  in  ad- 
dressing the  present  petition  to  the  Lord  (see  8  :  5,  C). 
It  differs  widely  from  the  modest  terms  in  which  Solomon 
was  addressed  by  his  mother  (i  Kings  2  :  20), — worship= 
ping  (see  2  :  2,  D.).  "  The  Bible  records  instances  of  the 
faith  of  believers  and  saints,  as  an  example  for  us  ;  it 
also  describes  their  weaknesses  and  sins  as  a  warning. 
If  even  //^^j' betray  such  infirmities,  how  earnestly  should 
we  pray  to  God  that  we,  whose  faith  is  still  weaker,  may 
be  graciously  strengthened  and  preserved  from  being  led 
into  temptation." — LUTHER. 

''  And  he  said  unto  her,  What  wouldest  thou  .''  She  saith  unto  him,  Com- 
mand that  these  my  two  sons  may  sit,  one  on  thy  right  hand,  and  one  on 
thy  left  hand,  in  thy  kingdom. 

A.  What  wouldest  thou  ?=that  I  should  give  Thee. 
The  Lord  deals  very  gently  with  Salome  and  her  sons ; 
for,  while  they  betrayed  much  ignorance,  they  exhibited 


Ii6  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xx.  22. 

neither  malice  nor  unbelief,  but  sincere  faith  and  confi- 
dence in  His  power. — B.  Grant  etc.,  see  above,  v.  20, 
B. — sit  on  Thy  .  .  .  left ;  (see  ver.  20,  B.  and  ch.  22  :  44, 
B.). 

"  But  Jesus  answered  and  said,  ye  know  not  what  ye  ask.  Are  ye  able 
to  drink  the  cup  that  I  am  about  to  drink  ?  They  say  unto  him,  We  are 
able. 

A.  Ye  know  not,  etc.=ye  little  know  that  ye  cannot 
be  glorified  and  reign  with  Me,  without  having  first  suf- 
fered and  died  with  Me  (Rom.  8:  17;  2  Tim.  2:11,  12). 
Ye  know  not  (=little  think)  that  those  who  shall  first 
occupy  positions  on  My  right  and  left  hand,  will  be  two 
thieves  (27  :  38),  nailed  to  two  crosses,  and  suffering  a 
death  of  agony  and  infamy  !  Even  now  we  know  not 
what  we  should  pray  for  as  we  ought,  unless  the  Spirit 
helpeth  our  infirmities  (Rom.  8  :  26). — B.  Cup.  The 
scriptural  image  of  a  full  cup  admits  of  a  twofold  appli- 
cation, representing  a  very  high  degree  either  of  joy  and 
prosperity  (Ps.  16:  5  ;  23  :  5),  or  of  merited  or  unmerited 
pain  and  sorrow  (Ps.  ii  :6;  Isai.  51  :  17,  22;  Jer.  49:  12). 
It  is  here  introduced  by  the  Lord  in  the  latter  sense,  as 
an  image  of  the  bitterness  of  grief  which  He  foreknew 
that  He  would  endure  in  Gethsemane  (comp.  Matt.  26  : 
39).  "  Stier  rightly  observes  that  this  answer  of  our  Lord 
contains  in  it  the  kernel  of  the  doctrines  of  the  two 
Sacraments." — Alford.  [Stier's  words  are  :  "  What  our 
Lord  says  contains  the  kernel  and  germ  of  all  the  apos- 
tolic doctrine,  as  expressed,  for  example,  in  Rom.  vi.,  and 
gives  the  inmost  signification  of  the  two  sacraments  of  His 
Church  by  which  it  is  incorporated  and  united  with  Him 
(i  Cor.  12:13).  In  our  case,  indeed,  it  is  in  inverted 
order.  Christ  alone  began  by  His  absolutely  drinking  of 
the  cup,  before  that  cup  became  baptism  to  Him.  We 
must  first  enter  with  the  fellowship  of  His  baptism,  be- 


XX.  23-]  CHAPTER  XX.  117 

fore  we  can  have  the  right  to  drink  of  His  cup.  Let  all 
false  dogmatical  teaching  which  satisfies  itself  with  the 
formal  imputation  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ  without  a  real 
entering  into  fellowship  with  Him,  ask  how  it  can  dispose 
of  the  Redeemer's  former  saying  about  His  cross  being 
intended  for  all."] 

"  If  the  adoption  of  the  Christian  faith  secured  wealth 
and  honor  for  every  Christian,  all  men  would  eagerly  pro- 
claim themselves  the  disciples  of  Christ,  and  yet  retain 
those  evil  hearts  which  unfit  them  for  heaven.  But  now 
the  trials  of  our  faith  purify  the  soul  (i  Peter  i  :  7  ;  4  : 
12,  13  :  2  Cor.  4  ;  7).  They  do  not  imply  wrath  on  the 
part  of  God,  but  parental  love  (Hebr.  12:6).  Christ, 
our  example,  even  in  His  deepest  afflictions  (Hebr.  5  ;  7- 
9),  remained  God's  beloved  Son." — Luther. — C.  We 
are  able.  John  and  James  now  came  forward  themselves, 
after  Salome  (ver.  20,  B.),  had  commenced  the  conversation, 
while  an  undue  self-reliance,  perhaps  amounting  to  rash- 
ness and  vain-glory,  appears  in  their  answer  (as  also  in  the 
case  mentioned  in  26  :  35),  they  must  have  correctly  un- 
derstood the  Saviour's  words,  to  a  certain  extent  at  least, 
as  He  had  repeatedly  (ver.  18;  16  :  21),  referred  to  His 
approaching  sufferings  and  death.  This  sincerity  and 
firm  resolution,  inspired  by  faith,  may  be  seen  in  their 
subsequent  conduct,  which,  after  the  first  alarm  (Matt. 
26  :  56),  exhibited  neither  any  shrinking  nor  any  feeble- 
ness of  purpose  (comp.  John  18  :  15  ;  19  :  26  ;  Rev.  i  : 
9,  for  John;  Acts  12  :  i,  2  for  James  ;  and  Acts  5  :  40  for 
both). 

^3  He  saith  unto  them,  My  cup  indeed  ye  shall  drink  :  but  to  sit  on  my 
right  hand,  and  on  my  left  hand,  is  not  mine  to  give,  but  it  is  for  them  for 
whom  it  hath  been  prepared  of  my  Father. 

A.  Ye  shall  .  .  .  with="  ye  are  they  which  have  con- 
tinued with  me  in    My  temptations  ;  and  I  appoint  unto 


Il8  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xx.  23. 

you  a  kingdom"  (Luke  22  :  28,  29).  The  sense  is :  I 
know  full  well  that  ye  will  be  faithful,  and  I  do  promise 
you  an  entrance,  after  imicJi  tribulation  and  persecution 
(Acts   14  :  22  ;  2    Tim.  3  :  12),  into   My  kingdom  (comp. 

1  Peter  i  :  6,  7  ;  5  :  10). — B.  But  to  sit,  etc.  The  Lord 
has  not  revealed  the  precise  condition  in  heaven  of  any 
individual.  Hence,  the  same  John,  when  more  fully 
enlightened,  said :  "  It  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we 
shall  be"  (i  John  3  :  2).  Fallen  man  could  not  now 
endure  a  vision  of  that  heavenly  glory  which  believers 
shall  enjoy  (Col.  3:3,  4  ;  Rom.  8  :  24,  25).  Hence  the 
terms  :  To  sit,  etc.,  are  to  be  figuratively  understood 
(comp.  a  somewhat  similar  figure  in  19  :  28,  E.  and  8  :  1 1). 
As  the  Lord  had  on  several  previous  occasions  (16  :  27; 
John  5  :  22,  27),  declared  that  He  was  invested  with  all 
power  and  authority  as  the  Judge  of  men,  He  cannot  here 
refer,  in  the  words  :  "  it  is  not  mine  to  give,"  to  any  sub- 
ordination or  inferiority  of  rank  or  person  (comp.  John  5  : 
23),  but  rather  means  :  to  give  indiscriuiinatcly,  as  the  con- 
nection shows.  The  words  in  Italics  in  the  English  Test.: 
"  it  is  for,"  are  unnecessarily  inserted  by  the  translators. 
The  translation  here  should  be  :  "  is  not  mine  to  give 
save  to  them  for  whom,  etc.,"  or,  "  Is  mine  to  give  to  none 
except  to,  etc."  The  object  ("  it  ")  which  "  hath  been  pre- 
pared," is  not  so  much  the  kingdom  mentioned  in  ver.  21 
and  below  in  25  :  34,  as  rather  the  appointvicnt  to  such 
positions  on  His  right  and  left.  The  Greek  word  for  pre= 
pared,  as    in    Mark   1:3;   14  :  16  ;  Luke    i  :  17;  2  Tim. 

2  :  21,  sometimes  signifies:  to  make  ready  or  fit  for,  to 
adapt  to.  Now  "  the  high  and  holy  place  "  in  which 
God  dwells  (Isai.  57  :  15),  and  into  which  "  there  shall  in 
no  wise  enter  anything  that  defileth  "  (Rev.  21  :  27)  is 
prepared  or  suited  for  those  alone  who  are  holy  (Hebr. 
12  :  14),  as  indeed  all  the  gracious  gifts  of  God  are  pre- 


XX.  24,  25-]  CHAPTER  XX.  i  ig 

pared  for  and  suited  to  none  but  such  as  "  love  Him"  (i 
Cor.  2  :  9).  The  sense  of  the  whole,  then,  is : — The 
decision  on  My  part  to  give  the  privilege  of  occupying  a 
near  position  to  Me  in  heaven,  depends  not  on  a  peti- 
tion proceeding  from  ignorance  or  ambition,  and  there- 
fore made  "  amiss  "  (James  4  :  3),  but  on  the  faith,  the 
holiness  and  love  (Eph.  1:4)  of  those  who  ask.  To 
such  alone  the  kingdom  is  adapted  ;  "  the  Father  seeketh 
such  to  worship  Him."  (John  4  :  23).  First  "  be  thou 
faithful  unto  death  and  (then)  I  will  give  thee  a  crown 
of  life"     (Rev.  2  :  10). 

^*  And  when  the  ten  heard  //,  they  were  moved  with  indignation,  concern- 
ing the  two  brethren. 

The  ten  other  disciples  were  niiicJi  displeased  (as  the 
same  Greek  word  is  rendered  in  the  authorized  version 
(Mark  10  :  14,  41),  that  two  of  their  number  desired 
stations  of  higher  rank  than  their  own.  Even  in  the 
holy  presence  of  the  Saviour,  as  Matthew  here  humbly 
confesses,  improper  feelings  (ambition,  jealousy)  are  still 
betrayed  by  the  disciples;  their  subsequent  conduct  was 
eminently  disinterested  and  holy.  What  is  man  without 
the  renewing  and  sanctifying  grace  of  God  ? 

^'  But  Jesus  called  them  unto  him,  and  said,  Ye  know  that  the  rulers  of 
the  Gentiles  lord  it  over  them,  and  their  great  ones  exercise  authority  over 
them. 

A.  But  Jesus  .  .  ,  said=desirous  to  suppress  at  once 
such  exhibitions  of  feeling,  by  the  power  of  the  truth.— 
B,  RuIers=who  possess  supreme  authority. — C.  Their 
great  ones=governors  appointed  by  royal  authority,  high 
officers  of  state,  etc.  In  the  absence  of  all  constitutional 
law,  such  ancient  rulers  were  often  at  liberty  to  indulge 
their  own  caprices  and  passions  without  restraint.  The 
sense  of  the  whole  is :  Do  ye  believe  that  My  kingdom 
will  exhibit   the  imperfect    forms  of    government  which 


I20  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xx.  26,  27. 

prevail  among  men,  or  that  the  pride,  ambition,  selfish- 
ness and  wantonness  of  power  which  blind  and  corrupt 
heathen  rulers  often  manifest,  shall  be  tolerated  in  it? — 
(\Qn\.\\QS>= nations,  in  the  sense  of  nations  ignorant  of  the 
true  God  (see  4:15,  16). 

^^  Not  so  shall  it  be  among  you  ;  but  whosoever  would  become  great 
among  you  shall  be  your  minister. 

A.  Not  .  .  .  you=do  ye  not  yet  understand  that  My 
kingdom  is  one  of  love  and  peace  (Rom.  14:  17).  And 
will  ye  not  receive  the  lesson  that  ye  are  not  designed  to 
be  earthly  rulers,  but  only  instruments  in  establishing  a 
spiritual  kingdom?  (i  Cor.  3:5-7;  2  Cor.  i  :24;  i  Peter 
5  :  3). — B.  But  whosoever,  etc.  A  minister,  according 
to  the  original  Greek  word,  is  a  personal  attendant,  or 
one  who,  as  in  Rom.  15  -.25,  renders  services  to  another 
(comp.  4:  II,  B.  and  25  :  44).  It  is  translated  servant  in 
22:13  and  23:11.  The  Lord  here  repeats  the  lesson 
which  is  found  above  in  18:4,  B.  The  subsequent 
allusion  (ver.  28),  to  His  own  redeeming  work,  which  love 
prompted  Him  to  perform,  furnishes  the  additional  ad- 
monition :  True  greatness  in  My  kingdom  consists  in  a 
resemblance  to  me  (18  :  5);  but  I  manifest  a  love  which  in 
its  exercise  submits  willingly  to  shame  and  suffering. 
Ye  are  most  of  all  remote  from  a  high  position  in  M3- 
kingdom,  when  ye  betray  a  want  of  humility  and  love 
(11:29). 
^'  And  whosoever  would  be  first  among  you  shall  be  your  servant : 

Servant.  The  original  Greek  word,  involving  generally 
the  idea  of  servitude  or  the  very  lowest  position  [bonds- 
man] is  here  more  emphatic  than  that  of  minister,  and  is 
applied  to  Christ  in  Phil.  2:7.  It  was  sometimes  applied 
to  bondmen  and  slaves  (i  Cor.  7  ;  21  ;  12:13;  Gal.  3  :  28  ; 
Philem.  ver.  16.  It  is  the  name  which  Paul  (Rom.  i  :  i), 
Peter  (2  Peter  i  :  i),  James  (i  :  i),  Jude  (ver.  i)  and  John 


XX.  28.]  CHAPTER  XX.  121 

(Rev,  (1:1),  familiarly  apply  to  themselves  in  their  relation 
to  Christ  their  Lord  and  Master :  in  a  similar  sense  it 
belongs  to  all  Christians.  The  spirit  of  the  whole  is  set 
forth  in  the  words  of  Paul  in  Phil.  2  :  3. — Chief,  as  in  Acts 
28  :  y,=first,  as  the  word  is  usually  translated. 

^*  Even  as   the    Son    of   man  came   not    to   be  ministered  unto,  but  to 
minister,  and  to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many. 

A.     Son  of  man    (8  :  20,   B.). — B.     Came  .  .  .  unto= 

not  for  His  own  advantage,  not  for  the  purpose  of  indulg- 
ing a  selfish  ambition. — C.  But  to  minister=to  saz'e  (see 
above,  ver.  26,  B.).  The  Lord  alludes  to  the  deep  humil- 
iation and  the  vicarious  death  to  which  love  and  pity 
prompted  Him  to  subject  Himself  (John  10:  18). — D.  To 
give  his  life^to  die.  For  the  word  life  {psyche)  see 
10:39,  A.  and  B.,  and  comp.  Luke  22:19;  Gal.  1:4; 
2 :  20. — E.  A  ransom.  The  Greek  word  is  the  term 
originally  applied  to  a  sum  of  money  paid  for  the  release 
of  any  prisoner  or  captive  from  bondage,  and  is  equivalent 
to:  money  tJiat  sets  loose;  it  is  here  figuratively  applied 
to  the  "  price  "  of  our  redemption  (i  Cor.  6  :  20;  7  :  23  ; 
comp.  Exod.  30:12;  in  Num.  35:31,  32),  the  corre- 
sponding Hebrew  term  is  rendered  satisfaction.  After  the 
fall  of  man,  he  became  the  servant  of  sin,  or  was  in  bond- 
age, subject  to  sin  and  death  (Rom.  3:9;  6  ;  12-23  \7  '-^A'^ 
Hebr.  2:15).  The  "  price  of  redemption  "  (Lev.  25  :  5  i) 
consisted  of  "  the  precious  blood  of  Christ  "  (i  Peter  i  :  18, 
19;  2:21).  Inasmuch  as  Christ  ^XQ'i  for  iis,  that  is,  in 
our  place,  or  as  our  substitute,  when  He  atoned  on  the 
cross  (Rom.  5:11),  the  Scriptures  uniformly  teach  that 
His  sufferings  and  death  were  vicarious  (=endured  in  the 
place  of  others):  see  Isai.  ch.  53;  John  1:29;  io:ii; 
Rom.  ch.  5  ;  ch.  8:32;  i  Cor.  15:3;  2  Cor.  5  :  14,  15; 
Eph.  1:7;  5:2;  I  Tim.  2:6;  Tit.  2  :  14 ;  Hebr.  9:12;  i 
Peter  2  :  24  ;  3  :  18. — F.     For  many=for  all   men,  accord- 


122  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xx.  29. 

ing  to  I  Tim.  2  :  3,  4.  When  the^//f  Saviour  (Rom.  5  :  19) 
is  contrasted  with  those  for  whom  He  died,  they  are  in 
some  passages  called  the  many,  as  in  26:  28  ;  Hebr.  9:  28. 
In  other  passages  these  many  individuals  are  declared  to 
be  all  men  (2  Cor.  5:14;!  Tim.  2:6;  Hebr.  2:9;  i  John 
2  :  2).  Thus,  too,  those  who  in  contra-distinction  from 
f?;/r=Adam,  are  called  many  in  Rom.  5:15,  are  imme- 
diately afterwards  (ver.  18)  declared  to  be  "all  men." 
Hence,  in  the  succeeding  verse,  the  19th,  the  atonement 
of  Christ  is  declared  to  be  sufficient  for  as  many  as  were 
made  sinners  by  Adam's  disobedience=«//  men.  At  the 
same  time,  the  solemn  truth  is  revealed  that  many  for 
whom  Christ  died  will  perish,  because  they  continue  to 
be  workers  of  iniquity  (Luke  13  :  24-30;  i  Cor.  8  :  11). 
"  There  are  people  who  do  not,  it  is  true,  expect  to  gain 
salvation  by  their  own  works,  and  who  do  not  deny 
Christ ;  but  they  are  so  much  occupied  with  the  world, 
that  in  heart  and  life  they  forget  the  Saviour.  Thus  they 
also  fail  to  seek  and  find  pardon  and  salvation."  LUTHER. 
The  affecting  illustrations  of  true  humility  and  love 
which  the  Saviour  furnished  in  His  own  Person,  and 
which  unequivocally  declared  that  the  empty  honors  of 
the  world  were  not  to  be  found  in  His  kingdom,  were 
designed  to  constitute  subjects  for  deep  reflection  and 
self-examination  on  the  part  of  the  disciples,  who  now 
remain  silent. 

^'  And  as  they  went  out  from  Jericho,  a  great  multitude  followed  him. 

A.  And  ,  .  .  went  out.  Mark  (10  :  46,  ff.),  and  Luke 
(18  :  15)  refer  to  one  blind  man  only  (see  above,  8  :  28,  B.). 
Matthew  mentions  a  second  who  was  also  healed  during 
the  Saviour's  presence  in  the  vicinity  of  Jericho.  Such 
instances  frequently  occurred  (see  9 :  27).  Matthew  and 
Mark  represent  the  miracle  as  wrought  after  the  Lord's 
departure  from  the  c\\.\\  while  Luke  describes  one  which 


XX.  30-32-]  CHAPTER  XX.  123 

had  occurred  before  His  entrance  into  it.  Hence  it  is 
probable  that  one  of  the  two,  whose  name  Luke  does  not 
give,  was  first  healed,  and  that  Bartimeus,  encouraged  by 
this  circumstance,  applied  to  the  Lord  as  He  left  the  city. 
Matthew  groups  the  two  miracles  together,  as  the  precise 
time  of  each  was  of  no  importance  to  the  reader. — B. 
Jericho,  called  by  the  Arabs  Eriha,  is,  at  present  a  mean 
village  of  scarcely  200  inhabitants  (Robinson  :  Bibl.  Res.  L 
552).  The  ancient  city  lay  six  miles  west  from  the  Jordan, 
and  was  more  then  twice  that  distance  from  Jerusalem,  to- 
wards the  northeast  ;  between  the  two  cities  lay  a  dreary 
wilderness.  (For  notices  of  this  ''  city  of  palm-trees " 
Deut.  34:3,  see  Josh.  ch.  2-ch.  6  ;  i  Kings  16:34;  2 
Kings  2:18,  fT.,  and  Luke  19  :  i,  ff.).  The  multitude 
probably  consisted  in  part  at  least  of  Jews  who  were 
proceeding  to  Jerusalem  in  order  to  keep  the  passover 
there  (ver.  20,  A.). 

^°  And,  behold,  two  blind  men  sitting  by  tlie  wayside,  when  they  heard 
that  Jesus  was  passing  by,  cried  out,  saying,  Lord,  have  mercy  on  us,  thou 
Son  of  David. 

See  ver.  29,  A. — Thou  Son,  etc.  (see  ann.  to  9  :  27). 

^'  And  the  multitude  rebuked  them,  that  they  should  hold  their  peace : 
but  they  cried  out  the  more  saying.  Lord,  have  mercy  on  us,  thou  Son  of 
David. 

A.  Rebuked  them  =probably  annoyed  by  such  loud 
appeals  for  help,  which,  as  they  vainly  believed,  the  Lord 
could  not,  or  would  not,  afford, — that  they  shouId=in 
order  that  they  might.  To  hold  ones  peace,  is  an  old 
English  phrase  equivalent  to  the  words,  to  be  silent,  which 
is  simply  the  sense  of  the  Greek  word  here  used,  as  well 
as  in  26  :  6^. — B.  They  cried  the  more=thus  furnishing 
evidence  of  their  earnestness  and  of  their  faith. 

^^  And  Jesus  stood  still,  and  called  them,  and  said,  What  will  ye  that  I 
should  do  unto  you  ? 


124  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xx.  33,  34. 

The  Lord  desires  to  call  attention  by  His  question  to 
the  greatness  of  the  calamity  of  the  men,  and,  conse- 
quently, the  greatness  of  the  power  revealed  in  the  in- 
stantaneous relief  which  He  designed  to  grant.  Of  their 
own  faith  they  had  given  unequivocal  proof  (Luke  18  : 
42  ) ;  hence  He  says  substantially  :  Ask  whatsoever  ye 
will,  and  ye  shall  receive  it. 

3^  They  say  unto  him,  Lord,  that  our  eyes  may  be  opened. 

They  ask  for  no  temporal  honors  or  profits,  but  only 
relief  from  their  greatest  burden.  Our  prayers  should 
refer  to  those  personal  wants  which  most  of  all  distress 
the  soul. 

^*  And  Jesus,  being  moved  with  compassion,  touched  their  eyes :  and 
straightway  they  received  their  sight,  and  followed  him. 

A.  And  .  .  .  compassion^as  always,  and  most  of  all 
in  reference  to  man's  spiritual  evils  (see  9 :  36,  B.). — B. 
Touched  their  eyes  (comp.  8  :  3,  15  ;  Mark  7  :  33  ;  Luke 
7  :  14  ;  22  :  51).  The  Lord  indicated  His  special  purpose 
by  the  act  of  touching,  and  doubtless  also  designed  to 
aid  the  faith  of  the  men,  and  thus  produce  most  fully  the 
proper  frame  of  mind. — C.  And  followed^as  an  instruct- 
ive example  to  all,  to  renounce  the  world  and  follow 
through  life  our  divine  Benefactor  and  Redeemer. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

'  And  when  they  drew  nigh  unto  Jerusalem,  and  came  unto  Bethphage, 
unto  the  Mount  of  Olives,  then  Jesus  sent  two  disciples. 

flount  of  Olives^Olivet,  2  Sam.  15  :  30,  called  by  the 
Arabs  Jebel-et-Tur,  on  the  east  or  north-east  of  Jerusa- 
lem, and  separated  from  it  by  the  brook  Cedron  (John 
18  :  i).  It  rises  to  the  height  of  2,397  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  Mediterranean  Sea  ;  it  is  about  one  mile  in  length, 
stretching  from  north  to  south.  This  eminence  com- 
mands a  wide  prospect,  and,  in  particular,  enables  a  spec- 
tator to  take  a  full  view,  not  only  of  the  temple  (Mark 
13  :  3),  but  also  of  every  part  of  the  city  (Zech.  14:4)-  It 
was  distant  from  Jerusalem  "  a  sabbath-day's  journey," 
Acts  I  :  i2=somewhat  less  than  an  English  mile  ("  five 
furlongs,"  Jos.  Antiq.  20,  8,  6);  according  to  others, 
seven  furlongs  and  a  half.  The  Jews  assigned  a  distance 
of  2000  cubits  (6  :  27,  B.)  to  a  sabbath  day's  journey,  by 
combining,  after  their  manner,  Exod,  16  :  29  with  Num. 
35  :  5).  The  name  was  derived  from  the  extensive  plan- 
tations of  olive  trees  which  in  ancient  times  covered  the 
western  side. — Olives  are  produced  by  a  tree  which  the 
Jews  cultivated  with  great  care,  and  valued  on  account 
of  its  fruit  (Jer.  ii  :  16),  the  rich  oil  which  the  olives 
furnished  (Judges  9  :  9),  its  wood  (i  Kings  6  :  23,  31),  and 
the  great  age  to  which  it  attained  (Ps.  52  :  8).  The  wild 
olive-tree  is  mentioned  in  Rom.  11  :  17,  ff. — Bethphage 
was  a  village  at  the    foot  of    the    mount,  not    far    from 

125 


126  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxi.  2. 

Bethany,  mentioned  below,  ver.  17,  but  no  traces  of  it  in 
modern  times  have  been  discovered.  For  Jerusalem 
(see  4:5,  C).  The  names  of  the  two  disciples  are  not 
given  ;  a  commission  of  the  same  general  nature  was 
afterwards  given  to  Peter  and  John  (Luke  22  :  8). 

^  Saying  unto  them,  Go  into  the  village  that  is  over  against  you,  and 
straightway  ye  shall  find  an  ass  tied,  and  a  colt  with  her  :  loose  them,  and 
bring  them  unto  me. 

A.  The  village  =  Bethphage,  which  was  in  sight. 
Straightway  =  immediately,  "  as  soon  as  ye  be  entered 
into  it  "  (Mark  1 1  :  2). — B.  An  ass  .  .  .  colt.  The 
oriental  nations  assigned  a  very  high  value  to  the  ass 
(Gen.  12  :  16  ;  24  :  35  ;  Job.  I  :  3),  which  is  said  to  have 
been  of  a  more  stately  and  handsome  appearance  than 
the  ignoble  animal  of  the  same  kind  found  in  countries 
lying  further  north.  It  was  not  employed  simply  by 
poor  persons,  but,  like  the  mule  (i  Kings  i  :  33),  was  pre- 
ferred to  horses  for  riding  by  men  of  the  highest  rank 
(Judges  5  :  10  ;  2  Sam.  17  :  23  ;  i  Kings  13  :  13) ;  the  ass- 
colt  is  mentioned  in  such  a  sense  in  Judg.  10  :  4;  12  :  14. 
The  use  of  horses,  which  were  pre-eminently  employed  for 
war  purposes  (Jer.  8:6;  Job.  39:  19-25)  was  discoun- 
tenanced among  the  Jews  (Deut.  17  :  16;  Josh.  11:6; 
Isai.  2  :  6,  7  ;  31  :  i),  doubtless  with  a  view  to  discourage 
the  development  of  a  military  spirit  among  the  chosen 
people.  When  the  time  had  arrived  for  giving  a  visible 
manifestation  of  the  royal  character  and  dignity  of  the 
Prince  of  Peace  (Isai.  9  :  6),  He  accordingly  chose  the  ass 
for  riding,  so  that  He  might  really  appear  to  the  world, 
as  He  had  been  prefigured  by  Melchizedek,  namely,  as  the 
King  oi peace  (Hebr.  7:2;  Gen.  14  :  18  ;  see  below,  ver. 
5,  C.).  Of  the  two  animals  here  mentioned,  the  Saviour 
chose  the  colt,  "  whereon  yet  never  man  sat  "  (Luke 
^9  •  30),  as  the  conception  of   purity  or  fitness  for  sacred 


xxr.  3,  4]  CHAPTER  XXI.  127 

uses  was  specially  connected  in  the  minds  of  ancient  Jews 
and  Gentiles  with  an  animal  that  had  not  yet  performed 
any  labor  (Numb.  19  :  2  ;  Deut,  21:3;  i  Sam.  6  :  7). 
The  ass  was  not  separated  from  the  colt,  but  simply  per- 
mitted to  follow,  without  being  employed. — Loose=/(nfte. 

^  And  if  any  one  say  aught  unto  you,  ye  shall  say,  The  Lord  hath  need  of 
them  :  and  straightway  he  will  send  them. 

A.  If — aught=should  inquire  concerning  your  pur- 
pose or  authority.  Probably  the  owners,  mentioned  in 
Luke  19  :  33,  are  meant.  No  one  of  the  four  evangelists 
had  space  to  describe  in  detail  (John  21  :  25)  the  many 
individuals  who  received  Christ  as  the  Messiah  (see  for 
instance,  John  2  :  23),  Thus  Matthew  and  Mark  never 
mention  Lazarus  and  his  two  sisters,  all  of  whom  the 
Lord  tenderly  loved  (John  1 1  :  5),  So,  too,  the  man 
described  in  26  :  18,  B.,  was  unquestionably  a  believer,  but 
his  name  is  not  once  recorded  (Mark  14  :  13  ;  Luke 
22  :  10).  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  although  a  disciple,  is 
not  mentioned  until  after  the  death  of  the  Lord  (Matt. 
27  :  57  ;  John  19  :  38).  Here  again  persons  are  incident- 
ally introduced,  whose  names,  like  those  of  many  others, 
have  not  been  preserved.  Aught^anything. — B.  The 
Lord,  etc.^they  know  Me,  believe  in  Me,  and  will  readily 
submit  to  any  expression  of  My  will.  "  T/ie  Lord" 
appears  to  have  been  the  simple  but  expressive  name  by 
which  the  Saviour's  disciples  frequently  indicated  Him  in 
contra-distinction  from  all  other  superiors  (John  20  :  2  ; 
21  :  7).  Whenever  well-founded  appeals  are  made  to  us 
to  employ  a  part  of  our  means  in  acts  of  benevolence, 
let  us  remember  the  words  :  "  The  Lord  hath  need  of 
them,"  and  think  on  Matt.  25  :  40,  45. 

*  Now  this  is  come  to  pass,  that  it  might  be  fulfilled  which  was  spoken  by 
the  prophet,  saying, 


128  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxi.  5. 

A.  All  this  is  come  to  pass=so  ordered  by  the  Lord. 
B.  That  .  .  .  fulfilled  (see  i  :  22,  A.).  Matthew  grate- 
fully refers  to  the  unchangeableness  of  the  divine  pur- 
poses ;  the  prophetic  promise,  which  was  so  cheering  to 
the  souls  of  ancient  believers,  is  literally  fulfilled.  When 
this  fulfilment  subsequently  became  distinct  to  the  minds 
of  the  disciples  (John  12  :  16),  it  was  a  new  testimony  to 
them  that  the  precious  promises  of  God  were  all  fulfilled 
in  Christ. 

'  Tell  ye  the  daughter  of  Zion,  Behold,  thy  king  cometh  unto  thee,  meek, 
and  riding  upon  an  ass,  and  upon  a  colt  the  foal  of  an  ass. 

A.  The  introductory  words  occur  in  Isai.  62  : 1 1  ;  the 
remainder  of  the  verse  is  found  in  Zech.  9:9;  the  two  pas- 
sages are  combined  by  Matthew  as  they  refer  to  the  same 
event.^Tell  ye=all  ye  that  dwell  on  earth.  The  prophet 
regards  the  Saviour's  advent  as  a  matter  of  the  deepest 
interest  to  the  whole  world  which  He  came  to  redeem, 
and  represents  all  nations  as  congratulating  the  favored 
city. — B.  Daughter  of  Zion.  The  city  of  Jerusalem  lay 
on  several  hills  or  mounts;  the  temple  was  erected  on 
Mount  Moriah,  while  the  site  of  David's  house,  and  of 
the  royal  residence  of  his  successors  was  Mount  Zion  (2 
Sam.  5:7-9;  1  Kings  7:  i).  The  entire  city  frequently 
received  the  name  of  the  latter  (Ps.  9  :  1 1  ;  87  :  2,  3  ; 
102  :  13,  16  ;  iio  :  2).  Then,  by  an  oriental  figure  of 
speech,  kingdoms,  cities,  etc.,  were  personified  or  repre- 
sented as  females  (comp.  Isai.  47  :  i  ;  Jer.  46  :  1 1  ;  Ps. 
45  :  1 2).  Hence  Jerusalem,  the  city  built  on  Zion,  is  called 
the  daughter  of  Zion  in  2  Kings  19:21,  and  very  fre- 
quently in  the  prophetic  writings,  as,  Isai.  i  :  8  (comp. 
8:  12,  A.).  Finally,  this  name  of  the  holy  city  is  figura- 
tively employed  in  the  widest  sense,  as  a  designation  of 
the  entire  people  of  Israel,  as  in  Zeph.  3  :  14. — C.  Behold 
.  .   .  cometh.     When  the  prophet  Zechariah  uttered  these 


XXI.  5-]  CHAPTER  XXI.  129 

words,  more  than  500  years  before  the  events  to  which 
they  refer,  the  period  of  the  restoration  of  the  captive 
Jews  to  their  land  had  arrived  (Ezra  5:1;  Zech.  I  :  i)  ;  but 
their  condition  was  miserable  in  the  extreme.  They  are 
cheered  by  this  promise  of  the  .advent  of  che  Messiah, 
the  true  "  King  of  Israel  "  (John  i  :  49). — "  Thy  King,  thy 
Deliverer  cometh  to  thee — not  to  others  only,  but  to  tJicc. 
Thou  didst  not  seek  Him,  but  He  seeks  thee  ;  He  first 
loved  thee"(^i  John  4:  19). — LuTlIER.— D.  Meek;  the 
original  Hebrew  term,  which  properly  applies  to  any  lowly 
condition  (poverty,  Deut.  24:  12),  also  describes  the  feel- 
ing of  humility  as  opposed  to  that  of  pride  (Ps.  18:27), 
"  afflicted — high  looks."  Thus,  it  acquires,  as  in  the  pres- 
ent text,  the  sense  of  lozvly  in  heart  (comp.  5  :  5,  A.; 
1 1  :  29).  "  The  Lord  comes  to  thee  in  meekness,  not  as  He 
came  to  Adam  (Gen.  3  19),  not  as  He  came  to  Cain  (Gen. 
4:9),  not  as  He  came  on  Mount  Sinai  (Hebr.  12  :  18-24)." 
— Luther. — E.  Sitting,  etc.  The  Messiah's  humility  is 
seen  in  His  choice  of  the  ass,  in  place  of  the  symbols  of 
war,  namely,  the  "  chariot,  horse  and  battle-bow  "  to  which 
He  afterwards  refers  (Zech.  9  :  10).  He  adds :  "  He  shall 
speak  peace  unto  the  heathen,"  and  concludes  this  por- 
tion of  his  prophecy  with  a  magnificent  description  of  the 
power  and  glory  of  the  Messiah's  kingdom.  "  It  is  true 
that  the  means  of  grace,  the  Word,  Baptism,  and  the 
Lord's  Supper,  seem  to  be  very  insignificant  and  even 
mean,  compared  with  the  spiritual  gifts  which  they  confer. 
But  let  not  thy  carnal  eyes  deceive  thee.  Here,  Christ 
rides  on  a  borrowed  ass,  and  soon  afterwards  suffers  an 
ignominious  death.  Nevertheless,  this  despised  Nazarene 
conquers  sin,  death  and  hell.  Do  not  trust  to  thine  eyes, 
but  believe  with  thy  heart." — LuTHER. — F.  And  a  colt, 
etc.  This  language  and  that  which  is  used  in  ver.  7 
("  thereon,"  ht,  Ofi  ///r7//=both  of  the  animals),  does  not 
9 


130  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MA  TTHEW.  [xxi.  6,  7. 

mean  that  the  Lord  rode  alternately  on  the  ass  and  the 
colt;  He  employed  the  latter  alone  (see  ver.  2,  B.  and 
John  12  :  15).  The  prophet,  whose  words  assume  the 
form  of  Hebrew  poetry  called  Parallclisin  (15  :8,  C),  first 
says  in  general,  "  upon  an  ass,"  and  then,  in  the  following 
clause,  more  particularly  :  "a  colt,  etc. ;  "  comp.  "  mighty 
men,"  and  "men  of  war"  in  Joel  2:7.  The  language, 
in  ver.  7.  conforms  to  a  Hebrew  idiom  which  at  times 
employs  the  plural  number  where  the  reader  himself  can 
understand  that  only  one  object  is  really  meant  (comp. 
Gen.  8:4)  "upon  (one  of)  the  mountains"  (Job  21  132), 
"  grave,"  in  the  Hebrew  graves  (see  margin  ;  Judges 
12:7),  where  the  words  "one  of"  are  supplied  by  the 
translators,  but  omitted  in  Gen.  19  :  29,  "  cities  in  (one  of) 
the  which."  The  same  expression  occurs  when  a  general 
remark  is  made,  with  no  intention  to  describe  special 
cases,  as  below  in  27:44;  so  the  mention  of  the  "proph- 
ets" in  Acts  13:40  refers  to  Hab.  i  :  5,  and  the  "secret 
chambers"  in  Matt.  24:26  can  mean  only  one  at  a  time. 
So,  too,  only  one  man  offered  the  Lord  a  sponge  filled 
with  vinegar  (Matt.  27  :  48  ;  Mark  1 5  :  36)  the  general  fact 
only  is  stated  thus  in  John  19:29,  "■  tJiey  filled  a  sponge." 

^  And  the  disciples  went,  and  did  even  as  Jesus  appointed  them. 

They  are  the  two  disciples  to  whom  reference  is  made 
in  ver.  i. 

'And  I)rought  the  ass,  and  the  colt,  and  put  on  them  their  garments; 
and  he  sat  thereon. 

A.  Ass  —  colt  —  thereon,  lit.  01  them,  that  is,  on  the 
colt;  see  above,  ver.  5,  F. — B,  Clothes,  lit.  cloaks,  "gar- 
ments," as  the  same  word  is  rendered  in  the  next  verse= 
outer  garments,  the  Jiimation  mentioned  in  5  :  40,  B.,  which 
was  frequently  laid  aside  (comp.  Acts  7  :  58  ;  12:8).  The 
disciples,  after  the  ancient  oriental  mode,  placed  articles 


XXI.  8,  9-]  CHAPTER  XXI.  131 

of  clothing  instead  of  a  saddle,  on  the  colt,  before  they 
rendered  their  services  to  their  Master  in  mounting. 

^  And  the  most  part  of  the  multitude  spread  their  garments  in  the  way, 
and  others  cut  branches  from  the  trees,  and  spread  them  in  the  way. 

A.  A  .  .  .  multitude  of  Jewish  travellers,  who  went 
to  Jerusalem,  as  John  states  (12  :  12)  in  order  to  keep  the 
passover  (see  above  20:  17,  A.  and  20,  A.). — B.  Spread 
their  garments  (ver.  7,  B.)=iaccording  to  the  oriental 
custom,  a  mark  of  honor  (comp.  2  Kings  9:  13.  —  C. 
Branches=:of  palm-trees  (John  12  :  13).  Branches  of 
these  trees  were  carried  in  the  hand  and  strewed  in  the 
way  in  seasons  of  rejoicing  (Lev.  23:40),  after  any  vic- 
tory (Rev.  7:9),  and,  as  here,  in  welcoming  a  monarch. 
"  When  you  confess  Christ  openly  and  in  truth,  when  you 
sustain  the  order  and  honor  of  His  Church,  and  when  you 
consecrate  your  property,  honor  and  life  to  His  service 
and  to  the  propagation  of  His  Gospel,  then  you,  too, 
'spread  your  garments  in  His  way,'  and  give  Him  a 
fitting  welcome." — Luther. 

5  And  the  multitudes  that  went  before  him,  and  that  followed,  cried,  say- 
ing, Hosanna  to  the  son  of  David:  Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord;  Hosanna  in  the  highest. 

A.  Multitudes — before — followed.  Besides  the  fifteen 
"Songs  of  degrees"  (Ps.  120-134),  others  also,  including 
Ps.  118,  were  sung  by  the  Jews  on  their  periodical 
journeys  to  Jerusalem,  at  the  times  of  the  great  yearly 
festivals,  and  during  the  celebration.  In  the  present  case 
different  portions  of  Ps.  118  appear  to  have  been  alter- 
nately sung,  after  the  manner  of  responses,  as  in  Exod. 
15  :  20,  21  ;  I  Sam.  18:7,  by  difTerent  groups  of  the 
same  company ;  thus  those  who  "  went  before  "  may 
have  sung  the  words  :  "  Hosanna  .  .  .  David  ;  "  then 
those  "  that  followed  "  responded  :  "  Blessed  .  .  .  highest." 
' — B.     Hosanna.     This  word  is  simply  the  Greek  form  of 


132  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxi.  9. 

the  Hebrew  term  occurring  in  Ps.  118:  25,  and  signify- 
ing :  "  Save  now,  or,  more  fully  :  "  Succor — help  (thine 
Anointed,  the  Son  of  David),  we  pray."  The  former 
part  of  the  word  is  the  root  of  the  r\a.Ti\&  Jesus  (i  :  21)  ; 
the  last  syllable,  na,  is  a  particle  expressive  of  an  q.x\- 
treaty=d?(?  now,  or,  %vc  beseech;  it  is  omitted  in  the 
original  in  2  Sam.  14:4;  2  Kings  6  :  26,  where  the 
former  part  of  the  word  is  rendered  :  "  Help  !  "  margin. 
Save.  The  Hebrew  is  probably  written  here  and  in  Mark 
11:9;  John  12  :  13,  in  order  to  point  the  more  distinctly 
to  the  song  of  holy  exultation,  forming  the  11 8th  Psalm, 
— Son  of  David  (see  1:1,  C). — C.  Blessed  .  .  .  Lord 
(Ps.  118  :  26).  This  passage  was  appropriately  repeated 
on  the  occasion  of  the  visit  of  the  pilgrims  to  the  house 
of  God.  Here,  however,  it  is  obviously  applied  by  them 
specially  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  in  the  sense  that,  as  the 
Messiah,  He  is  entitled  to  such  a  welcome.  The  imme- 
diate cause  of  this  unusual  joy  is  explained  in  John 
12  :  17,  18.  These  strangers,  who  had  often  heard  of 
Jesus  (Matt.  4  :  24 ;  9  :  26),  were  now  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  spot  where  Lazarus  had  been  restored  to  life  (see  ver. 
I,  and  John  11  :  i).  The  rapid  circulation  of  these 
tidings,  and  the  circumstance  that  the  author  of  the 
miracle  was  present,  produced  extraordinary  excitement 
among  the  people  ;  they  now  believed  that  the  promised 
Messiah  or  King,  "  the  Son  of  David  "  (i  :  i,  C),  had  at 
length  visited  His  people.  Cometh  .  .  .  Lord^cometh 
to  bring  prosperity  in  accordance  with  the  divine  will 
(see  below,  23  :  39,  A.). — D.  In  the  highest.  The  same 
phrase  occurs  in  Luke  2  :  14.  A  somewhat  similar 
phrase  in  Job  16  :  19  ("  on  high,"  in  the  margin :  "  in  the 
high  places,"  corresponding  to  the  word  "heaven," in  the 
former  part  of  the  verse),  as  well  as  in  Isai.  57  :  15  ("  high 
place")  and   Ps.  18  :  16  ("  from  above  "  =  from  the  high 


XXI.  10,  II.]  CHAPTER  XXI.  133 

place)  refers  to  God  dwelling  above  us,  in  heaven.  It  is  a 
recognition  of  His  exalted  nature,  whence  also  He  is  said 
to  be  "  most  high  "  (Ps.  92  :  8  ;  comp.  Ps.  56  :  2),  "  Thou 
Most  High."  The  present  phrase,  which  was  doubtless 
used  by  different  individuals  in  different  combinations,  is 
therefore  equivalent  to :  /;/  heaven  (comp.  Hebr.  1:3; 
8:1).  The  whole  is  a  prayer  which,  in  accordance  with 
Mark  11:10  and  Luke  19  :  38,  may  be  thus  expressed  : 
"  O  Thou  that  dwelleth  in  the  place  of  heavenly  glory, 
help,  save  us  now  by  the  coming  of  the  Messiah's  king- 
dom." 

'°  And  when  he  was  come  into  Jerusalem,  all  the  city  was  stirred,  saying, 
Who  is  this .-' 

Stirred  =  agitated,  convulsed  ;  the  inhabitants  eagerly 
inquired  after  the  name  of  Him  who,  like  a  king,  was 
welcomed  by  the  acclamations  of  the  multitude.  The 
same  word  is  rendered  quake  in  28  :  4 ;  tremble  in  Hebr. 
12  :  26,  and  also  describes  an  earthquake  (Matt.  27  :  51). 
The  word  (like  "  troubled,"  2  :  3),  does  not  here  seem  to 
indicate  rapture,  but  rather  a  hostile  feeling. 

"  And  the  multitudes  said,  This  is  the  prophet  Jesus,  from  Nazareth  of 
Galilee. 

The   multitude,  which    had  saluted    the  Lord    as   the 

Messiah  (ver.  9),  appears  to  have   been  at  once  subdued 

and  discouraged  by  the  wondering  ignorance   ("  who  is 

this  ?"),  stupid   amazement  and  unbelief  of  the   citizens 

which  the  Lord  deeply  deplored  (23  :  37).     The  rulers  or 

leading  classes  had  already  rejected  him  with  scorn  (John 

7  :  48).     The    fickle    multitudes,   which    had    so    shortly 

before  welcomed  him  as  the  Messiah,  swayed  like  a  reed, 

now  style  the  Lord  simply  "  the   prophet,"  as   if    they, 

somewhat  contemptuously  perhaps  (see    2  :  23,    C,    and 

John  7  :  52),  wished  to  say  :  It  is  the  well-known  Galilean 

prophet  (but  see  26  :  69,  C,  71,  E.).     Their  next  cry  was: 


134  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxi.  12. 

"  Crucify  Him,  crucify   Him  (Luke  23  :  21  ;  Matt.  27:  20, 
22.     Nazareth  (2  :  23,  A.). 

"  And  Jesus  entered  into  the  temple  of  God,  and  cast  out  all  them  that 
sold  and  bought  in  the  temple,  and  overthrew  the  tables  of  the  money- 
changers, and  the  seats  of  them  that  sold  the  doves. 

A.  The  temple=here,  not  the  "  holiest  of  all  "  (Hebr. 
9:3;  Exod.  26  :  33),  called  naos  (see  4:5,  E.),  but  the 
external  courts,  and  specially  the  "  great  court  "  (2  Chron. 
4  :  9),  named  by  later  writers  "  the  court  of  the  Gentiles," 
beyond  which  Gentiles,  who  had  not  become  fully  incor- 
porated with  the  Jewish  people,  were  not  permitted  to 
advance.  Here  the  Lord  walked  (as  recorded  in  John 
10  :  23),  and  the  lame  man  was  healed  by  Peter  (Acts 
3:11;  see  Matt.  26  :  55,  C.).  It  was  intended  to  be  a 
place  for  the  meditation  and  prayers  of  devout  men  of 
pagan  birth,  who  had  renounced  the  practice  of  idolatry. 
But,  with  the  permission  of  the  ungodly  Jewish  author- 
ities, it  was  converted,  particularly  during  the  great  fes- 
tivals, into  a  noisy  market  or  place  of  business ;  this 
abuse,  which  arrogantly  set  aside  the  privileges  of  the 
Gentiles  ("nations,"  Mark  11  :  17),  seems  to  have  arisen 
arisen  after  the  return  of  the  Jews  from  Babylon.  A 
wall  surrounded  the  second  or  inner  court  ;  within  this 
second  court  was  the  third  or  most  sacred  enclosure, 
which  none  but  the  priests  were  allowed  to  enter  ;  in  it 
stood  the  naos  or  temple  itself,  with  a  small  court  before 
it,  where  the  great  altar  was  placed. — B.  Cast  out. 
Once  before  (John  2  :  13-17),  at  the  commencement  of 
His  public  ministry,  the  Lord  had  corrected  the  gross 
abuse  by  which  devout  or  inquiring  Gentiles  were  robbed 
of  their  appropriate  place  of  worship.  The  conversion  of 
that  spot  into  a  market  was  so  flagrant  a  violation,  not 
only  of  decency,  but  also  of  the  sanctity  of  the  temple 
itself,  that   any  devout   and   earnest  man  whom   a  holy 


xxr.  36.]  CHAPTER  XXI.  135 

zeal  (John  2  :  17)  like  that  of  Phincluis  animated  (Numb. 
25  ;  7,  11),  or  a  prophet  such  as  Jesus  was  believed  to  be 
(ver.  11),  possessed  sufficient  authority  to  expel  the 
intruders.  But  the  countenance  of  the  Lord  no  doubt 
also  assumed  an  expression  of  majesty  and  divine  power 
which  silenced  at  once  all  opposition  to  His  will  ;  it 
wrought  powerfully  on  the  men  who  afterwards  came  to 
seize  Him  (John  18  :  6).  The  Pharisees,  although  much 
mortified,  could  not  consistently  censure  the  Lord,  whose 
conduct  was  a  severe  condemnation  of  their  unfaithful- 
ness, but  they  secretly  resolved  to  destroy  Him  (Mark 
II  :  18).— C.  Sold  and  bought= cattle,  sheep  and  goats 
(Lev.  I  :  2,  10;  John  2  :  14),  which  the  foreign  Jews 
desired  to  offer  as  sacrifices,  but  which  they  should  have 
procured  elsewhere. — D.  Money=changers  .  .  .  doves. 
The  annual  payment  demanded  of  each  Jew,  and  in- 
tended to  meet  the  expenses  of  the  temple  service,  was 
half  a  shekel,  or  about  28  cents  (see  17  :  24,  B.).  Jews 
from  a  distance  who  had  not  paid  the  amount,  and 
brought  only  foreign  money  with  them,  applied  to  the 
money-changers,  who  furnished  them  with  Jewish  or 
sacred  coins,  which  alone  could  be  offered  (Exod.  30  :  13, 
and  see  above,  17  :  24).  The  doves  that  were  exposed 
for  sale  were  purchased  by  poor  persons  whose  means  did 
not  allow  them  to  present  a  more  costly  sacrifice  (Lev. 
I  :  14  ;   5:7;   12:8;   14  :  21,  22). 

'^  And  he  saith  unto  them,  It  is  written,  My  house  shall  be  called  a 
house  of  prayer ;  but  ye  make  it  a  den  of  robbers. 

A.  And  said  =  explained  and  justified  His  apparently 
stern  conduct. — B.  fly  house  .  .  .  prayer.  The  Lord 
(who  had  come  to  His  temple,  Mai.  3  :  i),  quotes  the 
concluding  words  of  Isai.  56  :  7,  in  which  divine  com- 
passion is  promised  to  the  Gentiles,  whom  the  Jews  had 
virtually    expelled     from    the     spot     assigned     to     them. 


136  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.         [xxi.  14,  15. 

Solomon's  language  in  i  Kings  8  :  22-53,  indicates  that 
he  regarded  the  temple  as  specially  the  place  for  "  prayer 
and  supplication." — Hy  house  ;  in  the  prophetic  passage, 
these  words  allude  to  God  as  "  diuclluig  between  the 
cherubim  "  (Ps.  80  :  i  ;  Exod.  25  :  17-22  ;  40  :  34 ;  Numb. 
7  :  89  ;  I  Sam.  4:4;!  Kings  8  :  10,  ii). — C.  But  ye 
have,  etc.  The  Lord  refers  to  the  words  in  Jer.  7:11; 
the  impiety  of  the  Jews,  as  described  there  in  ver.  9,  is 
solemnly  rebuked.  The  application  is  specially  intended 
for  the  traders,  whose  sordid  love  of  gain  and  dishonest 
practices  in  disposing  of  their  merchandise,  were  revealed 
to  the  Lord's  eye.  As  the  priests,  who  had  the  charge  of 
the  sacred  edifice  and  all  that  lay  within  its  precincts, 
tolerated  this  traffic,  it  is  quite  probable  that  they 
privately  received  a  portion  of  the  gains  (comp.  i  Sam. 
2  :  12-17).  "  Shall  we  wonder  at  these  abuses  among  the 
Jews  ?  But  has  not  the  Pope  been  guilty  of  still  greater 
enormities  ?  Does  he  not  pretend  to  sell  the  pardon  of 
your  sins  for  money  ?  Has  he  not  converted  the  Lord's 
Supper  into  a  sacrifice  for  the  living  and  the  dead  ?  Do 
not  he  and  the  priests,  for  the  sake  of  getting  money, 
profane  all  that  is  holy  ?  "— LUTHER. 

'■*  And  the  blind  and  the  lame  came  to  him  in  the  temple ;  and  he 
healed  them. 

The  power  of  the  Lord  was  revealed  by  new  miracles 
which  He  wrought  as  additional  evidences  of  His  divine 
authority  ;  the  effect  on  the  Pharisees  is  related  in  John 
1 1  :  47. 

'5  But  when  the  chief  priests  and  the  scribes  saw  the  wonderful  things 
that  he  did,  and  the  children  that  were  crying  in  the  temple  and  saying, 
Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David ;  they  were  moved  with  indignation. 

A.  Wonderful  things  =  not  only  the  miracles  men- 
tioned in  ver.  14,  but  also  the  unexpected  expulsion  of 
the  traders  from  the  temple  (ver.  12),  whose  intrusion  the 


xxr.  i6.]  CHAPTER  XXI.  137 

highest  authorities  had  tolerated. — B.     The  children,  etc. 

=repeating  cheerfully  the  words  which  they  had  heard 
the  multitude  utter  (ver.  9).  The  Jews  ordinarily  en- 
couraged their  children  to  take  an  active  part  in  the 
rejoicings  usual  at  the  annual  feasts  (comp.  Exod.  12  :  26, 
27;  13  :  8,  14;  Deut.  6  :  20). — Moved  with  indignation 
(=much  displeased,  Mark  10  :  41)  on  seeing  that  Christ, 
who  so  frequently  opposed  their  iniquity,  received  honor. 

'*  And  said  unto  him,  Hearest  thou  what  these  are  saying  ?  And  Jesus 
saith  unto  them,  Yea ;  did  ye  never  read,  Out  of  the  mouths  of  babes  and 
sucklings  thou  hast  perfected  praise  ? 

A.  Nearest  .  .  .  say  ?^why  dost  thou  permit  thyself 
to  be  saluted  by  ignorant  children  with  a  title  belonging 
to  the  Messiah  alone  ? — B.  Yea=their  language  is  by  no 
means  unsuitable,  but  is  strictly  true  and  appropriate. — 
C.  Have  ye,  etc.  The  words  occur  in  Ps.  8:2;  accord- 
ing to  I  Cor.  15  :  27;  Eph.  i  :  22  and  Hebr.  2,  6,  7,  the 
whole  Psalm  refers  to  the  Messiah,  who,  in  His  unsullied 
human  nature,  and  in  His  "  dominion  "  over  the  visible 
creation  (ver.  6-8  ;  comp.  with  Gen.  i  :  26,  28)  exhibited 
the  purity  and  power  which  Adam  lost  after  his  fall,  but 
which  reappeared  with  new  splendor  in  Christ.  The 
psalmist  poetically  describes  in  the  words  quoted,  the 
instinctive  admiration  with  which  even  the  youngest 
children  gaze  at  times  on  the  heavenly  bodies  mentioned 
in  ver.  3  ;  he  regards  it  as  a  fitting  tribute  paid  to  the 
majesty  of  the  Creator.  Even  more  acceptably— pro- 
ceeds Christ — may  these  children,  possessing  the  intel- 
ligence of  a  riper  age,  and  incited  by  the  example  of  the 
adults  around  them,  pay  a  tribute  of  praise  to  the  truth 
of  God  in  sending  the  promised  Son  of  David.  Perfected 
^=establishcd,  or,  constituted.  Praise=the  glory  proceed- 
ing from,  or  identified  with,  the  manifestation  of  the 
"  strength  "  mentioned  in  Ps.  8  :  2. 


138  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxi.  17-19. 

"  And  he  left  them,  and  went  forth  out  of  the  city  to  Bethany  ;  and 
lodged  there. 

Bethany  was  a  village  near  Bethphage  mentioned  in  ver. 
I,  "about  fifteen  furlongs  "  (=some\vhat  less  than  two 
miles)  south-east  from  Jerusalem  (John  11  :  18),  lying, 
probably,  upon  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Mount  of  Olives, 
a  mile  or  more  below  the  summit  of  the  ridge  (see  28  :  16, 
A.).  It  was  the  place  of  residence  of  Lazarus  (John 
II  :  i),  to  whom  the  modern  Arabic  name  oiel-Asiriyeh 
is  said  to  refer.  Simon  the  leper  (Matt,  26  :  6),  and 
doubtless  others  who  kneu^  and  believed  in  Christ,  also 
dwelt  in  this  place  ;  here  Christ  accordingly,  together 
with  the  twelve  (Mark  11  :  11),  passed  the  night.  It  is 
at  present  a  poor  village,  containing  about  twenty  families. 
*'  Now  in  the  morning  as  he  returned  to  the  city,  he  hungered. 

He  hungered  (see  8  :  24,  B.),  having,  doubtless,  as  in 
Mark  1:35,  engaged  in  private  devotion  at  a  very  early 
hour,  and  then  proceeded  to  the  city.  The  later  Jews  did 
not  ordinarily  break  their  fast  (Acts  2:15)  until  the  first 
hour  of  prayer  in  the  morning,  that  is,  the  "third  hour" 
(20  :  3,  B.),  our  nine  o'clock,  when  the  daily  morning 
sacrifice  was  offered  (Exod.  29  :  39  ;  Numb.  28  :  4  ;  2 
Kings  16  :  15). 

''  And  seeing  a  fig  tree  by  the  wayside,  he  came  to  it,  and  found  nothing 
thereon,  but  leaves  only,  and  he  saith  unto  it.  Let  there  be  no  fruit  from 
thee  henceforward  forever.       And  immediately  the  fig  tree  withered  away. 

A.-  A  fig  tree=among  many  others  planted  as  usual 
at  the  wayside,  that  stood  nearer  to  Him  (Mark  11:13), 
but  probably  were  not  yet  furnished  with  leaves.  The 
fig  tree,  which  abounded  in  Palestine,  furnished  a  favorite 
and  wholesome  article  of  food  (i  Sam.  25  :  18).  The  first 
specimens  were  exhibited  to  the  Israelites  by  the  spies 
who  had  been  sent  to  search  the  land  (Numb.  13:23). 
Of    the  several    species,  the  early  fig,   which   was    most 


XXI.  ig.]  CHAPTER  XXI.  139 

esteemed  (Jerem.  24:2;  Hos.  9 :  10),  ripened  before  the 
close  of  June,  when  the  previous  winter  had  been  mild  ; 
the  foliage  was  developed  only  after  the  fruit  had  been 
formed,  and  was,  accordingly,  an  indication  that  the  latter 
was  nearly  ripe.  On  the  day  when  the  occurrence  here 
mentioned  took  place,  the  figs  had  not  yet  been  gathered, 
as  "  the  time  of  figs  (=fig-gathering)  was  not  yet."  This 
expression  in  Mark  11:13  strictly  corresponds  to  the  one 
occurring  below  (ver.  34),  where  "  the  time  of  the  fruit  " 
is  the  time,  not  of  ripening  but  of  gathering ;  so,  too,  the 
harvest  is  the  time  or  season  of  the  wheat  in  the  field 
(comp.  Job  5:26),  and  the  vintage  is  the  time  or  season 
of  the  grapes  (Hos.  2  : 9).  Under  these  circumstances  any 
passenger,  on  seeing  such  early  leaves,  might  reasonably 
expect  to  find  figs  on  the  tree.  The  absence  of  fruit  in 
this  instance  accordingly  proved  that  the  tree  was  barren  ; 
it  was  thus  an  image  of  the  hypocrite  whose  leaves  {= 
professions)  only  promise  or  pretend  that  fruit  (^religious 
principle,  faith)  has  already  been  formed.  The  privilege 
which  a  Jew  enjoyed  to  enter  his  neighbor's  vineyard  or 
grain-field  and  eat  (see  12:  i,  D.)  would  amply  justify  him 
in  plucking  fruit  from  trees  standing  on  the  public  road, 
where  they  were  often  found.  The  meaning  of  the  name 
Bethphage  is  Jioiise  of  figs,  referring  doubtless  to  the  abun- 
dance of  the  fruit  in  the  vicinity.— B.  And  said  unto  it, 
Let,  etc.  The  conduct  of  the  Lord,  who  here  speaks 
calmly  but  with  sadness,  receives  its  fullest  explanation 
from  the  events  which  immediately  preceded  it,  specially 
the  exhibition  of  the  malice  of  the  chief  priests  and  scribes 
mentioned  in  ver.  15,  from  whom  a  very  different  course 
could  have  been  expected.  Filled  with  grief,  and  viewing 
the  approaching  ruin  of  these  unholy  and  hypocritical 
men,  who  claimed  to  be  precisely  the  most  devout  of  all, 
the  Lord  expresses  His  inmost  thought:-  by  the  act  now 


I40  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.         [xxi.  20,  21. 

described.  The  same  truth  is  set  forth  in  Hebr.  6:8. 
We  have  here,  accordingly,  z.  parable  in  action  (as  in  Acts 
21  :  11),  strikingly  resembling  the  parable  in  ivords  con- 
cerning the  fig  tree  that  cumbered  the  ground  (Luke 
13:6-9),  and  inculcating  the  same  general  lesson.  The 
fig  tree  was  fitted  to  furnish  abundant  fruit  of  great  excel- 
lence ;  so,  too,  God  had  richly  endowed  His  people  with 
spiritual  gifts  (Rom.  3  :  i,  2  ;  9  :4,  5).  But  after  many 
centuries  of  divine  forbearance,  the  Lord  Jesus  found  "a 
crooked  and  perverse  nation"  (Phil.  2:  15)  whose  Phari- 
saic spirit,  so  severely  rebuked  in  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount  (ch.  5,  ch.  7  and  in  ch.  23),  rather  dishonored  than 
glorified  the  divine  name.  In  this  instance  the  promise 
made  by  the  leaves^the  presence  of  good  fruit,  was  delu- 
sive ;  so  the  outward  Pharisaic  sanctity  of  the  nation  con- 
cealed hearts  that  were  destitute  of  faith  and  love,  the 
weightier  matters  of  the  law  (23  :  23).  The  ruin  of  the 
barren  nation  is  impressively  illustrated  by  the  doom 
pronounced  on  the  fig  tree.  It  imn\eA\a.te\y=straight- 
%vay,  as  the  same  Greek  word  is  often  translated,  withered 
2^NZ.y=dried  up  (as  the  word  is  rendered  in  Rev.  16:  12). 
The  occurrence  took  place  in  the  presence  of  the  disciples 
without  being  clearly  understood  by  them,  and  hence 
the  Lord  afterwards  revealed  the  event  which  it  fore- 
shadowed, in  plainer  terms,  in  ch.  24:  2. 

^°  And  when  the  disciples  saw  it,  they  marvelled,  saying,  How  did  the  fig 
tree  immediately  wither  away  ? 

Saw  it=the  next  morning  (Mark  1 1  :  20)  ;  marvelled  = 

■wondered,  as  in  8:  lo;  the  withered  leaves  were  falling 
fast,  and  the  whole  trunk  was  evidently  dead. 

^'  And  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them,  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  If  ye 
have  faith,  and  doubt  not,  ye  shall  not  only  do  what  is  done  to  the  fig  tree, 
but  even  if  ye  shall  say  unto  this  mountain,  Be  thou  taken  up  and  cast  into 
the  sea ;  it  shall  be  done. 


XXI.  22,  23-]  CHAPTER  XXL  141 

A.  Jesus  answered^by  repeating  the  words  already 
found  in  ch.  17:20  above  (which  see),  and  now  pointing 
to  one  of  the  mounts  visible  at  the  time,  possibly  Olivet 
(ver.  i). — B,  And  doubt  not.  The  original  word,  fre- 
quently translated  doubt  (Acts  10:  20;  Rom.  14:  23),  pri- 
marily means  to  separate,  dissolve,  etc.,  and  then  is  applied 
to  any. internal  difference  or  contrariety  of  thought  and 
feeling;  thus  it  is  rendered  wavered  in  Rom.  4:20;  it 
sometimes  indicates  a  contest  between  opposing  forces, 
and  specially  the  trials  to  which  faith  is  subjected.  Hence 
it  describes  an  uncertainty,  a  hesitation,  or  a  fluctuating 
state  of  mind,  a  weak  faith — all  which  is  the  opposite  of 
that  clear,  confident  and  serene  frame  in  which  the  true 
believer  must  appear  before  God. — C.  It  shall  be  done 
(see  above,  17:20,  D.).  As  the  disciples  do  not  appear 
on  the  present  occasion  to  perceive  the  deep  import  of 
the  fig  tree  (ver.  19,  B.),  the  Lord  confines  His  remarks 
to  the  subject  of  faith,  which  in  the  case  of  the  disciples 
was  not  yet  fully  enlightened  and  clear. 

^^  And  all  things,  whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  prayer,  believing,  ye  shall 
receive. 

Comp.   7  :  7,    C. — Believing=praying  in   faith,   as   the 

only   genuine   mode    of  prayer,   that   is,   exhibiting  due 

submission  to  divine  wisdom,  and  unshrinking  trust   in 

God. 

^^  And  when  he  was  come  into  the  temple,  the  chief  priests  and  the 
elders  of  the  people  came  unto  him  as  he  was  teaching,  and  said.  By  what 
authority  doest  thou  these  things  ?  and  who  gave  thee  this  authority  ? 

A.  TempIe=one  of  the  courts  (ver.  12,  A.)  in  which 
He  walked  (Mark  1 1  :  27),  conversed  and  taught. — B. 
Chief  priests.  These  are  accompanied  by  the  scribes 
(Luke  20  :  i)  and  Pharisees  (ver.  45,  below).  Hence,  as 
members  of  the  Sanhedrim,  they  probably  address  Christ 
in  an  ofificial  capacity,   as  they  claimed   a  certain  right 


142  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxi.  24. 

founded  on  passages  like  Deut.  13  :  1-5  ;  18  :  20-22,  and 
exercised  in  Acts  4  :  7,  to  investigate  the  character  and 
acts  of  men  who  professed  to  be  prophets,  and  "  gave 
signs  or  wonders."  In  the  present  case  these  persons 
would  have  gladly  adopted  harsher  measures  than  such 
an  official  inquiry,  if  they  had  not  personally  feared  the 
consequences  (ver.  46,  below). — C.  By  what  authority, 
etc.  ?  Of  these  two  questions  the  former  means  :  "  What 
character  and  office  dost  Thou,  who  art  neither  a  Levite 
nor  a  scribe,  claim  to  possess,  while  Thou  doest  these 
things  =  the  expulsion  of  the  traders,  and  the  miracles?" 
(ver.  15,  A.)?.  The  second  means  :  "  If  Thou  claimest  to 
be  a  prophet,  who  has  conferred  such  power  on  Thee  ?^ 
Hast  Thou  the  divine  sanction  ?  "  The  object  of  these 
persons  is  obvious.  While  they  assume  that  Christ  can- 
not in  any  case  claim  to  be  more  than  a  mere  human 
being,  they  hope  to  extort  from  Him  a  declaration  that 
He  is  more,  namely,  the  Messiah;  in  that  case  they  could 
present  Him  to  the  Roman  governor  (Luke  20  :  20)  as  a 
dangerous  person.  Or,  He  might  declare  that  He  was 
the  Son  of  God ;  now,  that  declaration  had  on  two  former 
occasions  (John  5:17,  18  ;  10  :  30-33)  converted  the 
popular  favor  into  jealousy  and  madness  ;  this  result 
they  now  hoped  to  produce.  Such  a  declaration,  indeed, 
which  the  Lord's  enemies  represented  as  equivalent  to 
blasphemy,  constituted  afterwards  the  ground  on  which 
He  was  condemned  to  death  (26  :  63-66). 

-■*  And  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them,  I  also  will  ask  you  one  ques- 
tion, which  if  ye  tell  me,  I  likewise  will  tell  you  by  what  authority  I  do 
these  things. 

Among  Jewish  disputants  the  right  was  conceded  to 
him  to  whom  a  question  was  directed,  to  reply  by  pro- 
posing another  in  his  turn.  The  Lord  by  no  means  here 
evades  the  question,  but  simply  demands  justice  ;  before 


XXI.  25-]  CHAPTER  XXI.  143 

these  persons  came  to  Him,  they  should  have  decided 
positively  and  distinctly  in  the  case  of  His  forerunner 
John.  He  never  failed  to  give  an  answer  when  an  honest 
inquirer  really  needed  information.  But  at  the  present 
period,  when  He  had  furnished  the  strongest  proofs  of 
His  divine  nature  and  mission  (John  3:2;  9  :  16,  33  ; 
10  :  37,  38  ;  15  :  24  ;  Acts  2  :  22),  the  allegation  of  these 
men  that  they  needed  evidence  of  His  authority  could 
proceed  from  wilful  ignorance  or  malice  alone.  The 
dignity  and  uprightness  of  the  Lord,  accordingly,  did 
not  suffer  Him  to  connive  at  such  a  mock-trial  by  pre- 
tending to  make  a  formal  defence.  At  the  same  time 
the  wisdom  of  the  Lord  uttered  words  in  ver.  25,  which 
substantially  answered  the  two  questions  directly  and 
fully.  The  sense  here  is:  If  you  really  desire  informa- 
tion, your  own  knowledge  ai>d  recent  events  will  furnish 
it,  as  I  will  show  by  merely  referring  to  John  the  Baptist 
(comp.  ver.  25,  B.). — One  question,  Greek,  ivord=ox\Q 
simple  declaration  from  you,  indicating  the  source  of  Jiis 
authority,  will  be  sufificient. 

^'  The  baptism  of  John,  whence  was  it  ?  from  heaven,  or  from  men  ?  And 
they  reasoned  with  themselves,  saying,  If  we  shall  say.  From  heaven  ;  he 
will  say  unto  us,  Why  then  did  ye  not  believe  him  ? 

A.  The  .  .  .  John=whence  had  John  derived  his 
authority?  The  word  baptism  here  stands  for  the  office, 
preaching,  baptizing,  and  mission  in  general  of  John,  as 
in  Acts  10  :  37  ;  so  the  word  croivn  (Prov.  27  :  24)  indi- 
cates the  power  and  glory  of  a  king  ;  so,  too,  tJie  cj'oss  is 
sometimes  only  another  name  for  the  whole  Gospel  con- 
cerning the  way  of  salvation  (i  Cor.  I  :  17,  18 ;  Gal.  5:11). 
— B.  Whence  .  .  .  men  ?_=was  He  an  impostor,  influ- 
enced by  human  and  unholy  purposes  ("  of  men,"  Acts 
5  :  38),  or  was  He  truly  a  prophet  "  sent  from  God  ?  " 
(John   1:6;    comp.  Matt.,  ch.  3). —  From  heaven=y>-(7/;^ 


144  ^^^^  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxi.  26,  27. 

God,  as  in  John  3  :  27  ;  Luke  15  :  18.  The  meaning  is  : 
Ye  well  know  in  your  own  hearts  that  he  was  divinely 
authorized  ;  ye  also  know  his  testimony  concerning  Me 
(John  I  :  15,  29;  5  :  33).  As  God's  messenger,  and  as 
speaking  God's  words  (John  3  :  34),  his  testimony  proves 
that  I  Myself  have  di\ine  authority  when  I  teach  and 
work  miracles. — C.  They  reasoned,  lit.  calculated,  when 
they  perceived  the  dilemma  in  which  they  were  now 
placed,  which  of  the  only  two  possible  answers  would 
least  expose  them  to  shame,  for  they  could  not  now 
hope  to  retire  without  deep  humiliation.  They  had  not 
looked  for  so  direct  a  question  which  the  spectators  ex- 
pected men  in  their  position  to  be  at  any  moment  pre- 
pared to  answer  distinctly,  and  which,  nevertheless,  while 
it  was  undoubtedly  appropriate,  most  effectually  exposed 
their  wickedness  of  heart. — D.  If  we  shall,  etc.=if  we 
admit  the  divine  mission  of  John,  we  must  also  admit 
the  divine  mission  of  Jesus,  as  all  men  know  that  John 
unequivocally  bore  witness  to  His  divine  authority. 
These  persons  confess  among  themselves  their  wicked 
rejection  of  John  which  Luke  relates  (7  :  30). 

"^  But  if  we  shall  say,  From  men  ;  we  fear  the  multitude ;  for  all  hold 
John  as  a  prophet. 

The  deep  impression  which  John's  preaching  had  pro- 
duced on  the  public  mind  rendered  it  unsafe  even  for 
the  highest  personages  (e.  g.  Herod,  14  :  5)  to  reject  him 
openly  as  an  impostor  ;  they  would,  in  the  eyes  of  the 
people,  who  regarded  John  as  "a  prophet  indeed"  (Mark 
II  :  32),  at  once  have  assumed  an  attitude  of  direct  re- 
bellion against  God  Himself,  and  have  incurred  great 
personal  danger  (Luke  20  :  6). 

^'  And  they  answered  Jesus,  and  said.  We  know  not.     He  also  said  unto 
them.  Neither  tell  I  you  by  what  authority  I  do  these  things. 

A.     We    know    not^these    men    could    have    scarcely 


XXI.  2S.]  CHAPTER  XXL  145 

suffered  a  more  mortifying  exposure.  "  He  taketh  the 
wise  in  their  own  craftiness"  (i  Cor.  3  :  19;  Ji'b  5  :  13). 
They  were  the  acknowledged  rehgious  teachers  of  the 
people  ;  yet  they  confess  that  in  the  case  of  John,  who 
was  undeniabl)'  a  messenger  of  God,  they  liad  not  had 
sufificient  knowledge  or  capacity  or  interest  to  ascertain 
whether  he  were  an  impostor  or  a  true  prophet.  And 
they  pretended  to  teach  others  the  true  worship  of  God  ! 
— B.  He  also  said,  etc.=then  cease  to  act  as  My  judges 
in  a  matter  respecting  which,  by  your  own  confession, 
you  are  unfit  to  form  a  sound  judgment  ;  you  know 
not,  as  you  now  yourselves  admit,  the  first  principles  of 
religion.  Your  malice  would  not  be  converted  into 
faith,  even  if  I  gave  you  an  answer  (comp.  Luke  16  :  31), 
These  men  appear  to  have  still  lingered  in  the  presence 
of  the  Lord  (ver.  45),  but  not  to  have  ventured  to  ques- 
tion Him  again  (see  ver.  41). 

^^  But  what  think  ye?  A  man  had  two  sons;  and  he  came  to  the  first, 
and  said,  Son,  go  work  to-day  in  the  vineyard. 

A.  But  ...  ye  ?==  I  will  ask  you  another  question 
which  you  can  answer  :  Is  there,  or  is  there  not,  a  distinc- 
tion to  be  made  between  profession  and  practice?  I  will 
state  a  case.  The  parable  of  the  Two  Sons  illustrates 
that  distinction  in  the  result,  while  it  represents  both  of 
the  sons  as  originally  destitute  of  proper  sentiments. — B. 
Two  sons-=--all  men,  the  creatures  of  God,  who  is  the 
Father  of  all  (Mai.  :^  :  10).  The  connection,  especially  in 
ver.  32,  shows  that  Christ  here  arranges  the  people  of  His 
day  into  two  classes :  first,  the  publicans  and  other 
despised  and  vicious  persons,  ^\•ho  had  never  pretended 
to  be  servants  of  God,  but  many  of  whom  nevertheless 
repented  on  hearing  the  message  of  John  (Luke  3  :  10,  1 1  ; 
7  :  29),  and  of  Christ  (Luke  7  :  ^7  \  15:1);  these  are  repre- 
sented by  the  "  first "  son  introduced   here;  secondly,  the 


146  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxi.  29-31. 

hypocritical  Pharisees,  scribes,  etc.,  who,  in  a  self-righteous 
spirit,  rejected  both  John  (Luke  7:30)  and  Christ  ;  these 
are  represented  by  the  other  son.  — C.  Go  work,  etc.  (see 
20:  I,  E.  and  F.).  All  men  everywhere  are  commanded  to 
repent  (Acts  17  :  30).  "I  must  work  .  .  .  while  it  is  day  " 
(John  9:4;  see  also  Hebr.  3  :  7,  ff.). 

"'And  he  answered  and  said,  I  will  not;  but  afterward  he  repented  him- 
self, and  went. 

The  conduct  of  the  impenitent  indicates  the  spirit  from 
which  such  words  proceed  as  those  of  Pharaoh  :  "  Who  is 
the  Lord,  that  I  should  obey  his  voice?"  (Exod.  5  :  2). 
The  present  case,  however,  is  one  in  which  such  impiety 
is  followed  by  deep  and  genuine  repentance.  To  the 
humble  and  contrite  sinner,  who  sincerely  repents  and 
exercises  faith,  words  of  encouragement  were  addressed 
already  by  the  prophets  (Isai.  i:i8;  Ezek.  18:27,28), 
and  these  are  confirmed  by  the  numerous  invitations  of 
the  Gospel  to  lost  sinners  to  repent  and  be  saved. — 
Repented  ^obtained  altered  views  and  feelings  ;  the  origi- 
nal w  ord  occurs  again  in  27  :  3,  B. 

^°  And  he  came  to  the  second,  and  said  likewise.  And  he  answered  and 
said,  1  ;,'(',  sir;  and  went  not. 

The  second-=corresponding  in  some  measure  to  the 
elder  son  in  Luke  15  :25.  The  conduct  of  the  Pharisees 
and  other  self-righteous  persons  is  here  described,  who 
say,  "  Lord,  Lord,"  but  do  not  the  will  of  God  (7  :  21,  D., 
and  see  15  :  8). — 5aid  likewise.  Inasmuch  as  "all  have 
sinned  "  (Rom.  3:23),  Paul  testified  alike,  "  both  to  the 
Jews,  and  also  to  the  Greeks,  repentance  toward  God,  and 
faith  toward  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ"  (Acts  20  :  21).  He 
said,  I  go,  and  went  not^"  they  say,  and  do  not  "  (23  :  3). 

3' Whether  of  the  twain  did  the  will  of  his  father.'  They  say,  The  first. 
Jesus  saith  unto  them.  Verily  I  say  unto  you.  That  the  publicans  and  the 
harlots  go  into  the  kingdom  of  God  before  you. 


XXI.  32.]  CHAPTER  XXI.  147 

A.  Whether  .  .  .  twain=which  of  the  two  (5  :4ij. — ■ 
B.  They  say=the  same  persons  who  are  introduced  in 
ver.  23,  or,  possibly,  other  hearers  such  as  those  menticjncd 
in  ver.  41. — C.  Verily,  etc.=ye,  who  are  governed  by 
Pharisaic  pride,  regard  these  classes  of  people  as  vile  and 
unclean,  but  ye  do  not  perceive  that  ye  too  are  vile  and 
unclean  (comp.  Luke  18:9-14);  now  I  say  unto  you,  that 
if  they  (and  Gentiles  also,  8:11,  12,  and  ver.  41,  C.  below) 
•repent  of  their  sins  in  sincerity,  they  shall  inherit  all  the 
blessings  of  the  Messiah's  kingdom.  But  your  impeni- 
tence and  unbelief  will  necessarily  exclude  you  altogether, 
unless  you  follow  ("  go — before  you  ")  their  example,  and 
also  turn  to  God.  The  unholy  persons  here  mentioned 
did  not  pretend  that  they  were  righteous,  but  were  con- 
scious of  the  necessity  of  repentance  and  an  entire  moral 
change  ;  whereas,  the  Jewish  prejudices  of  those  whom 
the  Lord  here  addresses,  led  them  to  believe  that  they 
were  already  righteous,  and  thus  they  permitted  no  sor- 
row for  sin  to  enter  their  souls. 

^^  For  John  came  unto  you  in  the  way  of  righteousness,  and  ye  believed 
him  not ;  but  the  publicans  and  the  harlots  believed  him :  and  ye,  when  ye 
saw  it,  did  not  even  repent  yourselves  afterwards,  that  ye  might  believe  him. 

A.  For.  The  Lord  now  explains  the  cause  of  this 
rejection  of  one  class,  and  of  the  gracious  acceptance  of 
the  other,  in  order  to  illustrate  two  points  of  Christian 
doctrine  :  first,  that  all  men  are  sinners  (Gal.  3  :  22),  and 
subject  to  divine  wrath  (Rom.  5  :  8,  9 ;  Eph.  2:3);  and, 
secondly,  the  necessity  and  power  of  faith,  which  alone 
can  justify  (Phil.  3  :  9). — B.  The  way  of  righteousness. 
The  particular  habits  of  thinking,  feeling  and  acting,  or 
the  manner  of  life,  as  controlled  by  any  leading  doctrine 
or  general  principle,  is  sometimes  compared  to  a  way  or 
r^«^  leading  in  a  certain  direction  (Prov.  1 1  :  20  ;  16  :  31)  ; 
hence  the  Christian  religion,  which  is  pre-eminently  the 


148  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  Ixxi.  33. 

way  to  righteousness  and  heaven,  receives  this  general 
name;  for  instance,  in  Acts  9:2;  19:9,  23;  2  Peter 
2:21  (comp.  also  "  way  of  God,"  below,  22  :  16,  E.),  The 
sense  is  :  John  the  Baptist  taught  both  by  his  precepts 
and  by  his  example  the  true  way  of  becoming  righteous 
and  of  pleasing  God. — C.  Ye  believed  him  not=-in  con- 
sequence of  your  unbelief,  ye  failed  to  take  the  only  way 
that  leads  to  life.— D.  But  .  .  .  believed  him==repented, 
sought  after  pardon  in  penitence  and  faith,  and  therefore 
were  accepted  (comp.  Rom.  2  :  5-1 1). — E.  Saw  it=he 
repentance  and  faith  of  such  persons,  which  should  have 
awakened  your  conscience. — F.  Not  even  repent,  etc.^ 
you  heard  him  proclaim  the  wrath  to  come  (3  :  7),  but 
you  did  not  "  come  to  yourselves"  (Luke  15  :  17),  and  in 
"godly  sorrow"  (2  Cor.  7  :  10)  appear  as  penitent  be- 
lievers before  God.  The  construction  in  the  original, 
like  a  similar  one  in  Acts  7  :  19  ("  that  they  "),  indicates 
believing  as  intimately  connected  with  a  genuine  repent- 
ing, that  is,  when  the  sinner  is  convinced  in  his  heart  of 
his  guilt  and  danger,  he  seeks  for  deliverance,  and  the 
same  divine  grace  which  awakened  him,  now  conducts 
him  to  a  saving  faith  in  the  atonement  of  Christ. 

3'  Hear  another  parable  :  There  was  a  man  that  was  a  householder 
which  planted  a  vineyard,  and  set  a  hedge  about  it,  and  digged  a  winepress 
in  it,  and  built  a  tower,  and  let  it  out  to  husbandmen,  and  went  into 
another  country. 

A.  Hear  .  .  .  parable=illustrative  of  the  history  of 
the  kingdom  of  God  (ver.  43).  That  kingdom,  in  its 
purest  form,  consists  in  the  holy  communion  between 
God  and  His  creatures  (see  EXCURSUS  I.  vol  I.).  The 
revelations  of  God  under  the  old  and  the  new  cove- 
nant were  designed  to  restore  that  holy  communion 
between  God  and  fallen  men.  The  Jews  ungratefully 
and  wickedly  resisted  the  gracious  purposes  of  God,  and. 


XX[.  23-]  CHAPTER  XXI.  1 49 

after  slaying  many  prophets  (23  :  31),  filled  the  measure 
of  their  guilt  by  crucifying  and  slaying  (Acts  2  :  23)  the 
Son  of  God  (Hebr.  i  :  i,  2).  They  subsequently  rejected 
the  preaching  of  the  apostles  also  (Acts  13  :  46) ;  ulti- 
mately, the  believing  Gentiles,  "the  nations  that  knew 
not  God  "  (Isai.  55  :  5),  became  pre-eminently  the  people 
of  God  (Rom.  9  :  24-33,  ^"^  comp.  ver.  43,  below,  and 
8  :  12).  These  events  are  described  in  the  present 
parable  of  the  Wicked  Husbandmen,  with  which  com- 
pare Isai.  5  :  1-7,  to  which  passage  it  obviously  alludes. 
— B.  Householder.  Under  this  image,  as  in  20  :  i,  God 
is  represented  as  the  founder  and  owner  of  the  vineyard 
(Isai.  5  :  2). — C.  Vineyard  (see  20  :  i,  F.).  Vineyards  of 
great  value  were  usually  protected  either  by  a  thorn- 
hedge  (Ps.  80  :  12),  or  a  stone  wall  (Prov.  24  :  31).  The 
act  of  entering  and  merely  eating  grapes  was,  however, 
permitted  to  any  one  who  passed  a  vineyard  (Deut. 
23  :  24).  The  grapes,  after  being  gathered,  were  placed  in 
a  broad  and  shallow  excavation  or  wine-press,  and  trodden 
by  men  (Neh.  13  :  15  ;  Isai.  63  :  3  ;  Rev.  14  :  20).  In 
such  a  place  Gideon  was  once  compelled  to  thresh  wheat 
(Judges  6:  II,  Hebr.  "  ?";/  the  wine-press").  The  ex- 
pressed juice  flowed  down  through  a  closed  grate  or  sim- 
ilar fixture  into  a  receptacle  called  a  wine-vat,  from 
which  it  was  ultimately  removed  in  earthen  vessels  or  in 
skins.  The  name  wine-press  sometimes  includes  the 
upper  excavation  and  the  lower  vat,  both  of  which  were 
constructed  on  the  side  of  a  hill.  A  building  resembling 
a  turret  or  tozver  was  erected  in  the  vineyard  and 
occupied  by  a  watchman  when  the  grapes  were  nearly 
ripe  and  until  they  were  removed  (comp.  Job.  27  :  18  ; 
Isai.  I  :  8).  It  is  not  probable  that  each  object  men- 
tioned in  this  verse  has  a  special  spiritual  sense,  as  if,  for 
instance,  the   laws  of    Moses    were  represented    by    the 


150  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxi.  34. 

hedge,  etc.     Such  a  mode  of  interpretation  cannot  lead 

to    satisfactory    results;    thus,    the    tower    is   an    image, 

according  to  some,  of  the   temple  or  the  city  ;  according 

to  others,  of  the  priesthood,  etc.     The  Lord  rather  seems 

to    mention    all    the    precautions    usually    observed    by 

owners  of  choice  vineyards  in  order  to  indicate  in  general 

the    many   services    which    God    had    bestowed    on    His 

people  for  the  purpose  of  glorifying  His  name  by  their 

devout  spirit  and  conduct  as  the  fruits.     Such  is  obviously 

the  sense  of  Isaiah's  parable  to  which  Christ  here  refers 

(Isai.  5  :  1-7). — D.      Let  .  .  .  husbandmeii=after  giving 

the   Law  as  a   guide,  God  "  looked    for    righteousness  " 

(Isai.    5:7)    as    the   natural  result.     Let  it  out=rented, 

placed    in    charge    of.      The    original    word    translated 

husbandmen   strictly  means  a  tiller  of  tJie  ground,  as  in 

James    5  :  7.     These  husbandmen   or  vine-dressers    may 

represent   in  a   special   sense   the   Pharisees    and  scribes 

(Matt.  23  :  2,  3),  the  religious  teachers  of  the  Jews,  whose 

duty  it  was  to  strengthen  and  extend  the   kingdom  of 

God. — E.     And  went,  etc.=went  abroad  (comp.  25  :  14). 

God    granted    to    man    liberty  of    action,  or   the    choice 

between  good  and  evil,  life  and  death  (Deut.  30  :  15,  19; 

Josh.  24  :  15).     The  same  responsibility  now  rests  on  all 

who  live  under  the  new  covenant.     The  words  do  not  imply 

that  God  is  ever  really  absent,  although  sinful  men  may 

foolishly  say:  "The   Lord  seeth  us  not"  (Ezek.   8  :  12); 

He   is  always  invisibly   present,   and,    moreover,  always 

addresses  men  through  the  medium  of  His  word. 

^*  And  when  the  season  of  the  fruits  drew  near,  he  sent  his  servants  to 
the  husbandmen,  to  receive  his  fruits. 

A.     The  time    of    the    fruit=when    the    grapes    had 

matured,   and  should   furnish   a    suitable    return    to    the 

owner ;    such  a  result  of  the  divine  action  is  indicated  as 

might  reasonably  be  expected  in  men's  hearts  and  lives. 


XXI.  35-37-]  CHAPTER  XXI.  151 

That  time  for  exhibiting  the  influence  of  faith  on  the 
heart  and  Hfe  has  already  couic  in  the  case  of  every 
individual. — B.  He  sent,  etc.  These  servants  were  the 
prophets,  who  were  divinely-appointed  teachers  of  relig- 
ious truth,  sent  to  admonish  and  rebuke,  to  reveal 
the  divine  will,  and  to  confirm  the  faith  of  the  people. 
It  was  their  general  duty  to  urge  men  to  bring  forth  the 
fruits  of  repentance  and  faith  in  their  life  and  conduct. 

^'.  ^^  And  the  husbandmen  took  his  servants,  and  beat  one,  and  killed 
another,  and  stoned  another.  Again,  he  sent  other  servants  more  than  the 
first :  and  they  did  unto  them  in  like  manner. 

Matthew  here  gives  only  the  substance  of  the  Lord's 
words,  which  are  more  fully  presented  in  Mark  12  :  2-5 
and  Luke  20  :  10-12.  In  all  these  passages  the  historic 
events  are  figuratively  described  which  the  sacred  writer, 
after  having  reached  the  great  catastrophe,  the  Baby- 
lonian Captivity,  thus  relates  :  "  They  mocked  the  mes- 
sengers of  God,  and  despised  his  words,  and  misused 
his  prophets,  until  the  wrath  of  the  Lord  arose  against 
his  people,  till  there  was  no  remedy  "  (2  Chron.  36  :  16: 
see  also  Neh.  9  :  26  ;  Acts  7  :  52  ;  Hebr.  11  :  35-38). 
The  lord  of  the  vineyard,  with  wonderful  long-suffering, 
affords  new  opportunities  for  repentance  and  amendment 
(comp.  Jerem.  44  :  4).  Such  long-suffering  is  designed  to 
lead  to  repentance  (Rom.  2:4);  its  abuse  by  men  is 
described  in  Eccl.  8  :  ii.  Thus  they  "  treasure  up  unto 
themselves  wrath  against  the  day  of  wrath  "  (Rom.  2  :  5). 

^^  But  afterward  he  sent  unto  them  his  son,  saying,  They  will  reverence 
my  son. 

A.     But  .  .  .  all=when    the    period    had    arrived    for 

granting  the  last  revelation  of  the  truth,  or  the  period  of 

the  Christian  dispensation,  as  set  forth  in  the  N.  T.;  after 

this  period  no  new  divine  revelations  until  the  end  of  the 

world   are   to  be  expected,  according  to   Matt.    28  :  20  ; 


152  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxi.  38. 

2  Cor.  3:11;  Hebr.  1:2;  7  :  15-25  ;  12  :  27,  28.— B. 
His  son=Jesus  Christ  (John  3  :  16),  His  "  one,  well- 
beloved  "  Son  (Mark  12  :  6),  higher  in  rank  and  nature 
than  men  or  angels  (Hebr.  i  :  4,  5  ;  3:5,6),  being  "  with 
God,"  and  Himself  God  (John  i  :  i) ;  by  Him  pre- 
eminently "grace  and  truth  came"  (John  i  :  17).  The 
Son,  like  the  servants,  claimed  the  "  fruits  "  of  the  vine- 
yard=repentance  and  its  fruits  (3:2:4:  17). — C.  Saying, 
etc.  These  words  are  simply  designed  to  express  that 
which  might,  in  the  case  of  a  mere  human  being,  be 
reasonably  expected  (Isai.  63  :  8).  As  God  cannot  com- 
mit an  error  of  judgment,  they  do  not  refer  in  any 
spiritual  sense  to  Him,  except  for  the  general  purpose  of 
showing  how  "  slozu  to  anger"  He  is  (Neh.  9  :  17). 

^*  But  the  husbandmen,  when  they  saw  the  son,  said  among  themselves, 
This  is  the  heir ;  come,  let  us  kill  him,  and  take  his  inheritance. 

This  verse  describes  the  obstinately  impenitent,  whose 
extreme  wickedness  is  equalled  only  by  their  blindness 
and    infatuation.     They    said     among    themselves=the 

Pharisees  and  others  deliberately  formed  a  plan  to  destroy 
Christ  (12  :  14;  John  11  :  53).  But  could  they  with  any 
reason  believe  that  the  crime  which  they  meditated 
would  be  left  unpunished?  The  husbandmen  are  the 
leaders  of  the  Jewish  people  (see  above,  ver.  33,  D.),  who 
looked  with  jealousy  and  hatred  on  Christ,  when  they 
saw  that  while  He  resisted  their  pretensions,  He  was 
regarded  by  the  people  with  even  more  reverence  than 
they  were  (ver.  46) ;  hence  they  desired  to  put  Him  to 
death  (12  :  14).  Their  wickedness  was  great,  but  their 
folly  in  supposing  that  God  would  not  punish  such 
iniquity  was  also  great.  "  Come,  let  us  slay  him,"  said 
Joseph's  brethren  "  (Gen.  37  :  20).  The  inheritance  is 
the  vineyard,  and  represents  the  possession  of  authority 
and   power  to  rule   the  chosen  people  of  God.     Possibly 


XXI.  39.  40-]  CHAPTER  XXr.  153 

the  Lord  means  here  that  many  of  the  "  rulers  "  as  well 
as  of  the  people  knew  that  He  was  "  the  very  Christ  " 
=  Messiah  (John  7  :  26),  but  wickedlj^  disowned  Him. 
The  two  passages,  Luke  22  :  34  and  Acts  3:17,  refer  to 
an  ignorance  of  the  real  extent  of  the  crime,  which 
indeed  may  leave  room  for  repentance,  but,  as  a  volun- 
tary ignorance,  casts  a  heavy  burden  of  guilt  on  the 
perpetrators.  The  parable  is  strikingly  illustrated  by  the 
scene  described  in  John  11  :  46-53.  Christ  is  "appointed 
heir  of  all  things "  (Hebr.  i  :  2)  in  reference  to  His 
human  nature  ;  as  God  and  Maker  of  all  (John  i  :  3),  He 
is  already  the  Lord  of  all. 

^'  And  they  took  him,  and  cast  him  forth  out  of  the  vineyard,  and  killed 
him. 

A.  And  .  .  .  him.  In  ver.  33-36  the  parable  referred 
to  events  of  former  ages ;  in  verses  37,  38,  it  reached  the 
time  in  which  the  Saviour  Himself  appeared  ;  here,  at  ver. 
39,  as  in  22  :  9,  it  assumes  a  prophetic  character,  cor- 
responding to  the  words  addressed  to  Nicodemus  (John 
3  :  14,  15). — ^B.  Cast  him,  etc.  For  the  execution  of 
condemned  persons,  the  Jews,  in  conformity  to  the 
spirit  of  the  words  in  Numb.  15  :  35,  always  selected  a 
spot  on  the  outside  of  the  city  (i  Kings  21:  13;  Acts 
7 :  58),  and  hence  the  Lord  was  conducted  beyond  the  city 
gate  to  Golgotha  (Matt.  27  :  32,  33  ;  John  19  :  16,  17,  20). 
To  this  circumstance,  and  to  a  provision  of  the  Law  (Lev. 
4:  21  ;  9:11;  Numb.  19:  3),  an  allusion  is  made  in  Hebr. 
13:11-13,  and  possibly  here  also  by  the  Lord. 

'•°  When  therefore  the  lord  of  the  vineyard  shall  come,  what  will  he  do 
unto  those  husbandmen  ? 

The  Saviour  unexpectedly  demands    a  direct    answer 

from    His  hearers.     He  still  addresses  such  words  to  the 

-  impenitent  sinner  :  What  will  God  do  to  them  who,  after 

their   hardness   and    impenitent   heart,  treasure  up   unto 


154  THE  GOSPEL  OE  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxi.  41,  42. 

themselves  wrath  against  the  day  of  wrath?  (Rom.  2  :  5.) 
The  righteous  blood  which  the  Jews  shed  {21  :  35,  as  one 
specimen  only  of  human  guilt)  would  not  fail  to  come 
upon  the  guilty  (27  :  25).  The  execution  of  the  sentence 
of  divine  justice  will  be  acknowledged  by  the  guilty  them- 
selves as  richly  deserved,  however  awful  the  retribution 
might  be. 

^^  They  say  unto  him,  He  will  miserably  destroy  those  miserable  men,  and 
will  let  out  the  vineyard  unto  other  husbandmen,  which  shall  render  him 
the  fruits  in  their  seasons. 

A.  They=possibly  certain  of  the  Lord's  hearers  who 
did  not  perceive  the  spiritual  application  of  the  parable. 
There  were  some,  too,  who  saw  its  true  import,  namely, 
the  future  ruin  of  the  guilty  nation,  and  who  felt  the 
power  of  the  awful  truth  conveyed  in  the  answer;  these 
exclaimed  in  alarm:  God  forbid  (Luke  20  :  16). — B.  He 
will  .  .  .  men.  The  words  may  be  regarded  alike  as  a 
description  of  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  and  of  the 
future  punishment  of  the  wicked  (23  :  38 ;  24  :  2  ;  Luke 

19  :  41-44). — C,     And  will  let,  etc.     According  to   Luke 

20  :  15,  16,  the  Lord  appears  to  confirm  the  truth  of  this 
answer  by  repeating  it  Himself.  The  transfer  of  the  king- 
dom of  God  from  the  unbelieving  Jews  to  believing  Gen- 
tiles, which  is  implied  here  and  in  ver.  43,  below,  is  very 
frequently  expressed  in  direct  language  (comp.  Acts 
1 3  :  46  ;  15:7;  1 8  :  6 ;  28  :  28  ;  Rom.  ch.  9 — ch.  1 1  ;  and 
comp.  8  :  11,  12).  At  the  same  time  the  position  of  Gen- 
tiles after  their  admission  into  the  Church  is  specially 
explained  by  Paul,  who  declares  that  they  shall  enjoy 
God's  "  goodness  "  to  them  if  they  "  continue  in  His  good- 
ness "  (=^believe  in  Christ  and  conscientiously  follow  Him, 
as  fruits  rendered  in  their  season  (Rom.  6  :  22  ;  Eph. 
5:9);  otherwise,  they  also  shall  be  cut  off  (Rom.  1 1  :  22). 

■•-Jesus  saith  unto  tliem,  Did  ye  never  read  in  the  scriptures,  The    stone 


XXI.  42.]  CHAPTER  XXI.  155 

which  the  builders  rejected,  the  same  was  made  the  head  of  the  corner:  this 
was  from  the  Lord,  and  it  is  marvellous  in  our  eyes.'' 

A.  Jesus  saith=^after  silently  surveying  His  hearers 
with  a  searching  look  (Luke  20  :  17). — B.  Did  .  .  .  Script= 
ures=saynot  that  the  Lord  deals  unjustly  with  you.  Had 
you  not  abundant  opportunities  to  learn  the  value  of  the 
Gospel  ?  Do  you  not,  by  your  rejection  of  it,  convict 
yourselves  of  folly  and  wickedness?  Do  you  know  the 
true  meaning  of  certain  expressions  in  that  Psalm  in  which 
the  people  found  words  of  welcome  when  I  entered  the 
city  ?  See  above  (ver.  9,  B.  and  C). — The  scriptures=the 
holy  writings  (Rom.  i  :  2),  which  constitute  the  O.  T. 
Quotations  from  the  latter  are  often  introduced  in  the 
N.T.  by  the  phrase  :  //  is  zvrittcn,  etc.  (2  :  5  ;  4:4);  the  en- 
tire Hebrew  Bible  was  ^x'-X.  printed  \xv  A.  D.  1488.  Since 
these  words  were  spoken,  God  has  given  the  Scriptures  of 
the  N.  T.  also,  and  now  the  same  term  comprehends  both 
collections  of  writings. — C.  The  stone,  etc.  The  words 
occur  in  Ps.  118  :  22,  23  [in  close  connection  with  those 
which  had  supplied  the  Hosannaof  the  multitudes,  v^er.  9  ; 
Ps.  118  :  25].  The  speaker  refers  to  the  deep  distress  and 
extraordinary  dangers  in  which  he  had  been  involved,  and 
then,  with  holy  rapture,  proclaims  the  complete  victory 
which  Jehovah  had  granted  him.  The  inspired  apostles 
teach  us  that  these  words  specially  refer  to  Christ  (Acts 
4:11;  Eph.  2  :  20 ;  i  Pet.  2:7);  the  whole  Psalm  accord- 
ingly sets  forth  in  prophetic  language  the  humiliation  and 
the  exaltation  of  the  Messiah,  and   corresponds  to  Phil. 

2  :  5-1 1.  A  corner=stone,  placed  at  the  junction  of  two 
walls  and  serving  as  a  support  for  them,  in  reality  sustains 
the  whole  building  see  (the  spiritual  application  of  the 
name  to  Christ  in  Isai.  28  :  16,  with  which  compare  i  Cor. 

3  :  11),  [''The  allusion  seems  to  have  been  drawn  from 
one  of  the  stones,  quarried,  hewn  and  marked,  away  from 


1^6  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxi.  43. 

the  site  of  the  temple  (i  Kings  5  :  7),  which  the  builders, 
ignorant  of  the  head  architect's  plans,  had  put  on  one 
side,  as  having  no  place  in  the  building,  but  which  was 
found  afterwards  to  be  that  on  which  the  completeness  of 
the  structure  depended." — Plumptre.]  The  Psalm  re- 
fers prophetically  to  the  lowly  appearance  of  the  Saviour, 
which,  in  the  eyes  of  the  proud  Jews,  unfitted  Him  for 
the  Messiah's  great  work  (Isai.  53:2,  3).  Nevertheless, 
precisely  He  who  was  even  "  hanged  on  a  tree  was  exalted 
to  be  a  Prince  and  a  Saviour"  (Acts  5  :  30,  31).  The 
builders  (=Jewish  teachers  of  religion)  declared  that 
Christ  was  unfit  to  be  the  foundation  of  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  ;  nevertheless,  God  made  Him  the  head  of  the 
corner==the  corner-stone.  This  result  proceeds  from 
divine  wisdom  and  power  ("  from  the  Lord  "),  and  is  unex- 
pected and  wonderful ;  such  divine  acts  "  make  foolish 
the  wisdom  of  this  world"  (i  Cor.  i  :  20). 

■•5  Therefore  say  I  unto  you,  The  kingdom  of  God  shall  be  taken  away 
from  you,  and  shall  be  given  to  a  nation  bringing  forth  the  fruits  thereof. 

A.  Therefore=in  the  same  way  another  divine  act, 
equally  as  little  anticipated  by  your  worldly  wisdom,  will 
be  performed,  namely,  the  transfer  of  the  name  of  people 
of  God  with  all  the  positive  blessings  connected  with  it, 
from  you  to  others. — The  kingdom  of  God^the  blessings 
flowing  from  the  Messiah's  kingdom,  by  which  man  is 
restored  to  communion  with  God. — B.  Taken  .  .  . 
given  (see  above,  ver.  41,  C). — C,  A  nation.  This 
verse  does  not  refer  to  any  particular  Gentile  nation  or 
race  to  the  exclusion  of  others,  but  is  used  in  the  sense 
of  the  English  word  people  when  applied  to  a  multitude, 
without  regard  to  their  respective  countries  ;  it  so  occurs, 
for  instance,  in  i  Peter  2  :  9,  although  the  passage  in 
Exod.  19  :  16,  from  which  Peter  quotes,  refers  to  the 
Jewish    nation.     As  the  "scattered  strangers"  (i    Peter 


XXI.  44.  45l  CHAPTER  XXI.  157 

1:1)  of  various  races  constituted,  by  the  unity  of  the 
faith,  one  people  or  nation  or  Church  (i  Cor.  12  :  12,  27; 
Eph.  2  :  14  ;  4  :  4,  5),  so  here  too  the  new  people  of  God 
or  the  nation  consists  of  all  true  believers,  irrespectively 
of  their  Jewish  or  Gentile  birth  and  name. — D.  Bringing 
forth  (see  ver.  41,  C). 

*■*  And  he  that  falleth  on  this  stone  shall  be  broken  to  pieces  :  but  on 
whomsoever  it  shall  fall,  it  will  scatter  him  as  dust. 

A.  And  whosoever  .  .  .  broken.  The  Lord  had  an- 
nounced in  the  foregoing  verse  in  general  terms  the 
rejection  of  unbelieving  Jews  ("let  out,  etc.,"  ver.  41); 
here  He  proceeds  to  unfold  more  fully  the  actual  results 
of  their  unbelief.  He  retains  the  image  of  a  stone,  by 
which  He  Himself  is  implied,  but  now,  in  allusion  to  Isai. 
8  :  14,  represents  unbelief  ("  stumbling  at  the  word,  and 
disobedience,"  i  Peter  2  :  8)  as  similar  to  the  fatal  stum- 
bling of  a  thoughtless  traveller,  who  is  broken^dashed 
in  pieces  by  the  fall  to  which  his  recklessness  conducted 
him. — B.  But  on,  etc.  The  image  of  the  stone  is  still 
preserved,  but  with  a  new  application,  in  allusion  to  Dan. 
2  :  34,  44.  In  that  prediction  the  kingdom  of  Christ  is 
compared  to  "  a  stone  cut  out  without  hands,"  which 
shall  "  consume  "=scatte7',  make  chaff  of  ,  that  is,  make  an 
end  of  all  its  foes  ("  scatter  him  as  dust ; "  comp.  Isai. 
60  :  12).  The  divine  founder  of  the  Church  will  over- 
come all  His  enemies  (i  Cor.  15  :  25,  26).  The  eternal 
punishment  and  ruin  of  all  the  impenitent  and  unbeliev- 
ing is  still  more  explicitly  taught  below  (24:  51  ;  ch.  25). 
With  these  solemn  declarations  the  Lord  concludes  the 
present  discourse. 

"•'  And  when  the  chief  priests  and  the  Pharisees  heard  his  parables,  they 
perceived  that  he  spake  of  them. 

The   individuals    here  mentioned  are    doubtless   those 

who  are   introduced   in   ver.  15,  and  who  had  afterwards 


158  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxi.  46. 

generally  observed  silence,  without  actually  withdrawing 
from  the  Lord's  presence  ("  at  the  same  hour,"  Luke 
20  :  19).  To  them  as  well  as  toother  hearers  (ver.  41,  A.) 
the  design  of  the  foregoing  parables  was  perfectly  intel- 
ligible. 

*^  And  when  they  sought  to  lay  hold  on  him,  they  feared  the  multitudes, 
because  they  took  him  for  a  prophet. 

Such  was  the  effect  on  these  men  of  the  Lord's  preach- 
ing !  It  was  to  them  the  "  savor  of  death  unto  death  " 
(2  Cor.  2  :  16).  The  cause  lies,  according  to  (John  3  :  20; 
5  :  40  ;  and  see  above,  13  :  15,  D.),  in  the  wilful  and 
determined  purpose  of  their  hearts  to  resist  all  the 
appeals  of  divine  mercy,  and  all  the  influences  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  (Acts  7  :  51). — They  feared,  etc.  (see  above, 
ver.  23,  B.). 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

'  And  Jesus  answered  and  spake  again  in  parables  unto  them,  saying, 

A.  Answered  and  '5pake=proceeded  or  continued  to 
speak  (see  ii  :  25,  C).  The  close  of  the  preceding  dis- 
course occurs  in  ver.  44  of  the  foregoing  chapter.  After 
an  interval  of  unknown  length,  but  probably  on  the  same 
day  and  in  the  same  place  (21  :  23),  the  Lord  again  com- 
menced to  speak  in  parables  unto  them=the  licarers  to 
whom  the  previous  words  had  been  addressed. 

^  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  likened  unto  a  certain  king,  which  made  a 
marriage  feast  for  his  son, 

A.     The    kingdom    of    heaven    (see    21  :  33,   A.,    and 

Excursus  I.  vol.  I).  Here,  the  kingdom,  as  the  kingdom 
of  the  Gospel,  represents  the  Christian  Church  in  its  visible 
form  ;  God's  course  of  action  is  "  like  unto  "  that  of  this 
king.  The  Lord  had  delivered  a  parable  on  a  former 
occasion  and  under  entirely  different  circumstances  (Luke 
14  :  15-24),  in  which  several  incidents  occur  resembling 
those  that  are  here  introduced  ;  for  an  analogous  case,  see 
25  :  14,  A.  He  now  sets  forth  in  the  present  parable 
additional  truths.  Under  the  images  of  invitations,  of 
murdered  servants,  and  of  the  destruction  of  the  crimi- 
nals, He  repeats  the  description  of  the  unbelief,  ingrati- 
tude and  punishment  of  the  Jewish  nation  which  the  fore- 
going parable  contained  (21  :  33,  ff.),  and  discloses  the 
divine  purpose  of  calling  the  Gentiles;  but  He  now  pro- 
ceeds (ver.    11-13,  below)  to  teach  the  solemn  lesson  in 

159 


l6o  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxii.  3. 

addition,  that  if  such  divine  judgments  do  not  influence 
the  members  of  the  Christian  Church,  whose  ancestors 
were  Gentiles,  to  seek  true  righteousness,  their  doom  will 
resemble  that  of  the  unbelieving  Jews;  they,  too,  will  be 
cast  away. — B.  A  certain  king,  lit.  a  man,  a  king=2S\. 
image  of  God,  the  Sovereign  of  the  universe,  who  dispenses 
both  undeserved  mercies  and  merited  punishments. — C. 
A  marriage  feast^wedding  banquet,  as  in  Judg.  14:  10; 
John  2:9;  Matt.  25  :  10.  The  history  of  the  institution 
of  the  passover  (Exod.  12  :  3-14),  and  the  circumstances 
related  in  Exod.  24:  11,  combined  with  the  common 
oriental  image  of  a  banquet  as  an  illustration  of  great 
enjoyment  and  honor  (see  above,  8:11,  C),  furnish  the 
sacred  writers  with  various  images  descriptive  of  the 
bounty  of  God  (Ps.  23  :  5  ;  Prov.  9  :  2,  ff.  ;  Isai.  25  :  6; 
Zeph.  1:7).  A  marriage  feast,  in  particular,  exhibited 
the  most  perfect  combination  of  joyful  circumstances 
(Jer.  7  :  34).  The  latter,  moreover,  or  marriage  in  general 
as  an  image  of  the  relation  between  God  and  His  people, 
is  frequently  introduced  in  the  O.  T.  (see  above,  12  :  39, 
A.,  and  9:15,  A.).  The  marriage  of  the  king's  son  may 
therefore  be  regarded  as  an  image  of  the  union  which 
the  Father  desires  to  establish  in  His  kingdom  between 
His  only-begotten  Son  and  His  believing  people=-the 
Church,  His  bride  (Rev.  21  :  9) ;  the  honor  and  happi- 
ness which  flow  from  that  union  are  thus  strikingly  set 
forth.  But  the  bride  is  not  here  introduced  prominently 
as  an  image  of  the  Church,  since  the  latter  is  itself 
already  presented  under  the  image  of  groups  of  invited 
guests  (comp.  25  :  i,  F.)  ;  the  Son  or  bridegroom  also 
recedes  from  the  view,  in  order  that  the  guests,  specially 
representing  the  visible  Church,  may  be  alone  considered. 

'  And  sent  forth  his  servants  to  call  them  that  were  bidden  to  the  mar- 
riage feast :  and  they  would  not  come. 


XXII.  4]  CHAPTER  XXII.  i6i 

A.  Sent  .  .  .  feast.  An  early  invitation  ("  were 
bidden  ")  was  succeeded  in  the  East,  it  is  said  (comp.  Esth. 
5  :  8  with  6  :  14,  and  see  Luke  14  :  17),  by  another  ("  to 
call ")  immediately  before  the  commencement  of  the 
feast,  which  sometimes  continued  several  days  (Judges 
14  :  12  ;  Gen.  29  :  27).  The  Saviour  refers  here  to  the 
numerous  calls  sent  to  His  people  through  the  prophet 
that  they  should  walk  in  His  ways  and  seek  the  heavenly 
inheritance  (Hebr.  11  :  16);  possibly,  too,  the  special 
meaning  may  be  involved,  that  the  chosen  people  of 
Israel  are  now  invited  anew,  and  called  to  the  Gospel 
feast. — B.  And  they  .  .  come='-  When  I  spake,  ye 
did  not  hear"  (Isai.  65  :  12  ;  comp.  Isai.  66  :  4 ;  Jerem. 
7  :  13  ;  Zech.  7:11;  Prov.  i  :  24).  "  Ye  will  not  come 
to  me,  etc."  (John  5  :  40).  Such  conduct  shows  how 
entirely  alienated  from  God  and  rebellious  the  mind  of 
fallen  man  naturally  is  (Col.  i  :  21).  The  eternal  loss  of 
the  soul  is  the  result  of  a  deliberate  rejection  of  the 
divine  offers  of  mercy. 

*  Again,  he  sent  forth  other  servants,  saying,  Tell  them  that  are  bidden. 
Behold,  I  have  made  ready  my  dinner :  my  oxen  and  my  fallings  are 
killed,  and  all  things  are  ready :  come  to  the  marriage  feast. 

A.  Again.  The  long-suffering  God  is  described  in  the 
Scriptures  in  very  affecting  and  impressive  language 
(Ps.  103  :  13;  Jer.  31  :  35-37. — B.  Other  servants=new 
admonitions,  repeated  by  other  prophets  (comp.  21  :  36). 
Possibly  the  Lord  here  shadows  forth  specially  the  mission 
of  John  the  Baptist  and  of  his  apostles  to  the  Jewish 
nation. — C.  Tell  them,  etc.=divine  love  cannot  yet 
abandon  them  (Isai.  49  :  16).— Dinner.  The  original  Greek 
marks  the  first  meal  taken  in  the  day;  here,  in  a  general 
sense=beginning  of  the  feast. — FatIings=young  animals 
(for  instance,  the  fatted  calf,  Luke  15  :  23),  carefully  fed 
with    grain   and    intended    for  slaughter  (comp.  2    Sam. 


1 62  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxii.  5,  6. 

6  :  13).  The  oxen,  etc.,  are  not  respectively  images  of 
special  divine  mercies  ;  the  whole  enumeration,  as  in  i 
Kings  1:9;  Prov.  9:2,  is  designed  to  set  forth  the 
ample  provision  made  for  the  guests=the  fulness  of  divine 
bounty,  such  as  the  "  adoption,  glory,  covenants,  law, 
service  and  promises  "  (Rom.  9  :  4)  of  the  O.  T.  ;  all 
these  involve  assurances  of  the  coming  of  Christ,  who  is 
"  all,  and  in  all "  (Col.  3  :  11),  and  in  whose  all-sufificient 
(John  19  :  30),  atoning  work  (i  John  i  :  7)  we  have 
emphatically  "  all  things  "  (i  Cor.  3:21,  22). — The  bless- 
ings of  the  Gospel  are  "  prepared"  for  men  by  undeserved 
divine  bounty,  and  never  earned  by  them. 

^  But  they  made  light  of  it,  and  went  their  ways,  one  to  his  own  farm, 
another  to  his  merchandise  : 

riade  light  of  it^cared  not  for  it ;  the  original  word  is 
rendered  neglect,  in  i  Tim.  4  :  14,  regarded  not,  in  Hebr. 
8  :  9.— His  own  farm,  an  illustration  of  man's  preference 
of  his  own  will  and  temporal  concerns  to  the  divine  will 
and  service. — flerchandise^traffic,  mercantile  business. 
The  worldly-minded  in  general  are  here  represented,  who 
permit  their  secular  business  (agricultural  pursuits,  trade, 
etc.)  to  exclude  the  subject  of  their  religious  duties  from 
the  mind  and  the  heart.  They  think  that  they  have  no 
time  to  attend  to  God's  business,  and  will  not  understand 
that  this  is  really  their  own  business.  Their  positive 
guilt  consists  in  the  dishonor  and  contempt  with  which 
they  treat  the  heavenly  "  King,"  who  cannot  be  "  mocked  " 
=treated  in  a  scornful  manner  with  impunity  (Gal.  6:7: 
comp.  2  Chron.  30  :  10). 

^  And  the  rest  laid  hold  on  his  servants,  and  entreated  them  shamefully, 
and  killed  them. 

The  rest,  as  in  Mark  16  :  13  ;  Luke  8  :  10  ;  Acts  2  : 
37. — Laid  hold  on,  as  in  18  :  28,  or  26  :  57. — Entreated 
shamefully,    as    in   Acts   14  :  5  and    i   Thess.   2  :  2.    The 


XXII.  7,  8]  CHAPTER  XXII.  163 

original  describes  insolent  and  injurious  treatment.  To 
entreat  at  present  signifies  to  solicit,  etc. ;  the  translators 
used  the  word  in  the  sense,  now  antiquated,  of  treat=^a&- 
have  towards,  deal  with. -^Killed,  as  in  21  :  35,  where  a 
similar  description  is  given  of  the  persecutions  which 
God's  servants  in  former  periods  endured ;  possibly, 
scenes  like  the  murder  of  John  the  Baptist  may  also  be 
meant  (Matt.  14  :  3,  fT.)  The  class  of  persons  here  de- 
scribed differ  from  those  mentioned  in  ver.  5,  in  so  far 
that  they  exhibit  a  still  more  fully  developed  form  of 
human  depravity,  or  a  deliberate,  conscious  and  impious 
resistance  to  the  divine  will. 

^  But  the  king  was  wroth  ;  and  he  sent  his  armies,  and  destroyed  those 
murderers,  and  burned  their  city. 

A.  Wroth=angry,  as  in  18  :  34,  A.  (comp.  Acts  18  : 
6;  I  Thess.  2  :  16). — B.  He  sent,  etc.  (comp.  21  :  41). 
At  this  point  in  the  whole  chain  of  historical  events,  the 
Lord,  speaking  prophetically,  refers  to  the  awful  event  of 
the  destruction  of  the  city  of  Jerusalem  by  the  Roman 
soldiers,  who,  like  the  Assyrians  (Isai.  10  :  5),  were  uncon- 
sciously the  executors  of  God's  judgment.  The  circum- 
stances connected  with  that  catastrophe  are  more  fully 
set  forth  in  ch.  24,  below  (see  Dan.  9  :  26). — Murderers 
.  .   .  city  (see  23  :  37,  B. ;  Acts  7  :  52). 

*  Then  saith  he  to  his  servants,  The  wedding  is  ready,  but  they  that  were 
bidden  were  not  worthy. 

A.  The  wedding  is  ready=the  plan  of  salvation  is  pre- 
cisely and  fully  adapted  to  the  wants  of  fallen  man  (Hebr. 
7  :  25) ;  the  blood  of  Christ  can  cleanse  all  men  (i  Tim. 
2  :  4)  from  all  sin  (i  John,  i  :  7). — B.  But  they,  etc.= 
they,  the  Jews  (Rom.  9  :  31),  to  whom  the  word  of  God 
came,  did  not  correspond  in  heart  and  life  to  the  divine 
purpose. — Worthy  (see  10  :  1 1,  B.);  their  "  unbelief"  (Rom. 


l64  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxii.  9,  10. 

II  :  20  ;  Hebr,  3  :  19  ;  4:6,  11)  unfitted  them  for  the 
reception  of  the  blessings  of  the  Gospel  (Acts  13  :  46). 

'  Go  ye  therefore  unto  the  partings  of  the  highways,  and  as  many  as  ye 
shall  find,  bid  to  the  marriage  feast. 

A.  Highways.  The  original,  which  gives  a  fuller 
phrase  than  the  one  occurring  in  Luke  14  :  23,  and  below, 
ver,  10,  indicates  by  the  term  partings  the  square  formed 
by  the  intersection  or  meeting  of  two  or  more  streets, 
equivalent,  probably,  to  crossifigs  of  the  ways.  In  such 
places  a  promiscuous  assembly  could  easily  be  found,  and 
there,  as  we  may  gather  from  the  analogous  parable 
(Luke  14  :  21),  the  poor  sat  and  begged.  Grace  makes  no 
difference  between  the  Jews  and  the  Greeks  (Rom.  10  : 
12). — B.  And  as  many,  etc.^"  whosoever  will,  let  him 
take  the  water  of  life  freely  "  (Rev.  22  :  17).  The  words 
in  Matt.  21  143,  and  the  language  of  Paul  in  Rom.  10:  20, 

21  ;  II  :  II,  plainly  show  the  meaning  here  to  be:  The 
Gospel  which  the  Jews  reject  shall  be  preached  to  all  the 
Gentile  world  (Mark   16  :  15  ;  John  3  :  16;   11  :  52  ;  Acts 

22  :  21).  "All  the  ends  of  the  earth  shall  see  the  salva- 
tion of  our  God"  (Isai.  52  :  10;  Luke  3  :  6).  The  para- 
ble, as  in  21  :  39,  becomes  a  prophecy. 

'°  And  those  servants  went  out  into  the  highways,  and  gathered  together 
all  as  many  as  they  found,  both  bad  and  good  :  and  the  wedding  was  filled 
with  guests. 

A.  Servants=the  messengers  of  God,  formerly  proph- 
ets, now,  the  heralds  of  the  cross. — Highways=roads, 
streets.  Illustrations  abound  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles, 
from  the  eighth  chapter  to  the  end,  of  the  preaching  of 
the  Gospel  to  Gentiles. — B.  AH  .  .  .  found="  preach 
the  Gospel  to  c^'cry  creature  "  (Mark  16  :  15  ;  Col.  i  :  23). 
— C.  Both  bad  and  good=a  proverbial  phrase,  here 
equivalent  to  iiidii'idnah  of  every  kind,  2^%  in  13:47.  The 
language  in  another  parable  (the  Tares,  13  :  38)  indicates 


XXII.  II.]  CHAPTER  XXII.  165 

that  mere  membership  in  the  Christian  Church  (the  hear- 
ing of  the  Word  and  admission  to  the  Holy  Sacraments) 
is  not  an  unerring  index  of  the  state  of  the  heart  (see 
illustrations  in  Acts  5  :  i,  ff.  ;  8  :  13-23).  The  Gospel  and 
the  privileges  of  the  Church  have  been  offered  to  all  men 
indiscriminately  (Rom.,  ch.  11),  but  the  unworthy  will  be 
ultimately  rejected  by  the  Lord.  It  is  this  point  which 
the  concluding  portion  of  the  parable  is  specially  designed 
to  illustrate. — D.  The  wedding,  etc.^the  banquet  table 
was  surrounded  {\\t.  filled).  The  Christian  Church,  in  its 
visible  form,  consists  of  an  innumerable  multitude  of 
individuals. 

"  But  when  the  king  came  in  to  behold  the  guests,  he  saw  there  a  man 
which  had  not  on  a  wedding  garment  : 

A.  And  when  .  .  .  guests.  In  this  second  part  of 
the  parable  no  special  allusion  to  the  Pharisees  or  the 
Jewish  nation  is  made  ;  it  refers  strictly  to  the  Christian 
Church  and  its  members,  irrespectively  of  the  mere  cir- 
cumstance of  their  birth  or  origin.  It  also  directs  atten- 
tion prophetically,  as  in  25:31,  ff.,  to  the  future  judgment 
of  men  who  in  this  world  lived  in  a  Gospel  land.  The 
king's  course,  as  here  described,  is  intended  to  teach 
three  great  truths:  first,  that  each  individual  will  here- 
after be  examined  and  judged,  "  came  in  to  see  ;  "  sec- 
ondly, that  a  certain  preparation  (=repentance  and  faith. 
Acts  20  :  21,  and  their  fruits,  the  "wedding  garment") 
is  the  indispensable  condition  on  which  invited  guests 
will  be  permitted  to  enjoy  eternal  life  as  represented  by 
the  banquet ;  thirdly,  that  in  the  case  of  those  who  are 
not  so  prepared  and  cleansed,  the  sentence  of  punish- 
ment will  be  inevitable,  sure  and  irresistible,  "  Bind, 
etc."  (ver.  13). —  B.  A  man,  etc.  This  man,  like  the 
servant  in  Luke  19  :  20,  is  the  representative  of  a  large 
class    of   persons    who   outwardly   confess    Christ.     It   is 


i66  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxii.  ii. 

well  known  that  among  oriental  nations  the  gift  of  gar- 
ments by  kings  and  men  of  rank  and  wealth  to  their 
guests  or  others  was  a  usual  complimentary  act  (see  Gen. 
45  :  22  ;  Judges  14  :  12,  19 ;  i  Sam.  18:4;  2  Kings  5  :  5, 
22  ;  Esther  8:15;  Dan.  5:7;  Luke  15  :  22).  The  rejec- 
tion by  a  guest  of  such  a  gift,  and  his  preference  of  his 
own  unsuitable  or  "  strange  apparel  "  (see  Zeph.  i  :  7,  8, 
to  which  passage  the  Lord  here  appears  to  allude),  would 
naturally  be  regarded  only  as  a  deliberate  insult,  indi- 
cating a  spirit  in  the  guest  which  totally  unfitted  him  for 
the  enjoyment  of  the  king's  bounty.  The  gift  was  the 
more  needed  here,  as  these  persons,  taken  from  the  high- 
ways, possessed  no  costly  apparel  of  their  own.  The 
oriental  customs  of  modern  times  furnish  abundant  illus- 
trations of  these  statements  ;  the  modern  caftan  presented 
by  the  noble  host  is  thrown  over  the  ordinary  clothing. 
The  spiritual  meaning  of  the  wedding  garment,  which  is 
the  apparel  corresponding  to  the  king's  rank  and  to  all 
the  circumstances,  may  be  gathered  from  passages  like 
Rom.  13  :  14  ;  Gal.  3  :  27,  which  speak  of  "  putting  on  " 
Christ,  that  is,  being  clothed  with  or  arrayed  in  him,  as 
the  same  Greek  word  is  translated  in  Mark  1:6;  Acts 
12:21.  This  image  is  probably  derived  from  words  like 
those  of  the  prophet,  who,  when  he  describes  the  Messiah, 
exclaims  in  rapture  :  "  He  hath  clothed  me  with  the  gar- 
ments of  salvation,  etc."  (Isai.  61  :  10).  The  man  may 
thus  represent  those  who  undervalue  and  despise  the 
righteousness  of  Christ,  which  is  "  put  on  "=imputed  to 
the  believer.  This  interpretation  is  confirmed  by  the 
words  in  Rev.  19  :  8,  where  the  fine  linen  in  which  the 
Lamb's  wife  is  arrayed  is  explained  to  be  "  the  righteous- 
ness of  saints."  The  wedding  garment  is,  accordingly,  the 
symbol  of  the  righteousness  of  the  believer,  which  pro- 
ceeds from    faith   in  the  crucified  Redeemer  :  this   faith 


XXII.  12,  13.]  CHAPTER  XXIL  167 

purifies  the  heart  (Acts  15  :  9),  continually  grows  in 
depth  and  power  by  the  grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
bears  fruit  in  a  holy  life  (see  Rom.  9  :  30-32).  This  right- 
eousness, says  Paul  (Phil.  3  :  9),  is,  not  "  mine  own — it  is 
through  the  faith  of  Christ — it  is  by  faith  "  (see  Rom. 
3  :  22  ;  Gal.  2  :  16).  As  the  wedding  garment  is  neither 
furnished  by  the  guest  nor  earned  by  him,  so  our  right- 
eousness, by  which  we  become  fitted  to  enter  heaven,  is 
acquired,  not  by  our  works,  but  proceeds  solely  from  the 
merits  of  Christ  which  are  imputed  to  the  believer  (Rom. 
4:5). 

'^  And  he  saith  unto  him,  Friend,  how  earnest  thou  in  hither  not  having 
a  wedding  garment  ?     And  he  was  speechless. 

A.  A  friend  (see  20:  13,  B.). — B.  How  .  .  .  wedding 
garment  ?=how  couldst  thou  profess  to  know  God  and 
to  be  a  Christian,  and  yet  not  bring  forth  the  fruits  of 
the  Spirit  ?  (Gal.  5  :  22-25).  Didst  thou  not  really  deny 
thy  Lord  ?  Why  hast  thou  preferred  the  "  filthy  rags  " 
of  thine  own  righteousness?  (Isai.  64  :  6  ;  Rom.  10  :  3). 
By  thy  unworthy  walk  and  conduct  (Tit.  i  :  16  ;  Eph. 
4:1;  Phil.  I  :  27 ;  Col.  1:10;  i  Thess.  2:12;  4:1) 
thou  hast  proved  that  thy  faith  was  dead  (James  2:17, 
26),  and  that  therefore  thou  hast  not  the  true  right- 
eousness.— C.  He  was  speechless=as  he  had  without 
cause  refused  to  receive  the  offered  garment  (comp. 
Jer.  23  :  24).  If  the  heathen  is  "  without  excuse  "  (Rom. 
I  :  20),  how  shall  he  answer  God  on  the  last  day  who  lived 
and  died  in  a  Christian  land  without  repentance  and 
faith?  (see  Rom.  3  :  19).  "  If  God  spared  not,  etc." 
(Rom.  II  :  21). 

"  Then  the  king  said  to  the  servants,  Bind  him  hand  and  foot,  and  cast 
him  out  into  the  outer  darkness  ;  there  shall  be  weeping  and  gnashing 
of  teeth. 

A.     Bind  .  .   .  foot=a  mournful  image  of  the  hopeless 


1 68  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxii.  14. 

and  friendless  condition  of  the  lost  sinner  (comp.  Ps. 
']^  :  7).  The  original  here  gives  a  word  translated  serv= 
ants,  which  differs  from  the  one  so  translated  above  (ver. 
3,  4,  8,  10) ;  it  is  sometimes  translated  minister  (see 
20  :  26,  B.).  Doubtless  the  angels,  who  ministered  to  the 
Lord,  as  related  in  4:  ii,  B.,  are  here  meant,  as  in 
13:  39.  41,  49;  the  servants  named  in  ver.  2-10  then 
represent  men  who  are  messengers  of  the  Lord. — B.  Take 
him  away^to  everlasting  punishment  (25  :  46;  comp.  2 
Thess.  1:9);  there,  the  bonds  can  never  be  loosed  ! 
(Luke  16  :  26). — C.  Cast  him,  etc.  (see  8:12,  where  the 
same  words  occur).  He  who  is  merely  a  nominal  Chris- 
tian, and  does  not  live  by  faith  (Gal.  2  :  20),  but  prac- 
tically denies  Christ,  will  perish  as  miserably  as  if  no 
Saviour  had  existed. — There=in  the  outer  darkness. 

**  For  many  are  called,  but  few  chosen. 

This  language  resembles  that  of  a  proverb,  and  may, 
accordingly,  be  applied  to  a  variety  of  cases.  The  call  of 
the  Gospel  is  addressed  to  large  numbers,  who  are  there- 
fore described  as  "  many  "  ;  hence  the  called  (Matt,  9  :  13), 
as  sinners  by  nature,  are  all  who  hear  the  Gospel,  whether 
they  reject  the  call,  as  in  ver.  5,  or  become  professing 
Christians,  as  in  Rom.  1:6;  i  Cor.  i  :  24.  Compara- 
tively feiv  accept  the  Gospel  in  faith  and  are  thus 
qualified  to  enter  the  kingdom.  The  distinction,  there- 
fore, between  the  called  and  the  chosen  consists  in  the 
circumstance  that  the  latter  are  those  of  the  called  who 
are  obedient  and  therefore  approved.  As  these  accept 
the  call,  they  are  the  cherished,  the  beloved  of  God,  accept- 
able to  Him.  In  this  sense  of  acceptable,  the  word  chosen 
or  elect  is  applied  to  Christ  (Luke  23  :  35)  and  to  the 
angels  (i  Tim.  5:21).  It  is  then  applied,  like  the  cor- 
responding term  saints,  that  is,  holy  men  (see  27  :  52,  B.), 


XXII.  14]  CHAPTER  XXII.  169 

to  all  true  believers,  whose  faith  or  humble  trust  in 
Christ  and  His  redeeming  work  renders  them  acceptable 
in  the  eyes  of  God.  As  the  word  in  the  sense  of  the 
chosen  ones,  the  selected,  the  cJioice  ones,  implies  the  exist- 
ence of  others  in  whom  the  desired  qualities  are  not 
found  (comp.  the  verb  in  Luke  10  :  42  ;  14:7;  Acts 
6  :  5),  it  is  here  employed,  as  in  24  :  22,  24,  31  (where  it 
is  translated  elect),  to  distinguish  believers  from  un- 
believers. It  sometimes  designates  merely  Christians  by 
profession  as  distinct  from  the  people  of  the  world  (Col. 
3  :  12;  Tit.  I  :  i).  In  i  Peter  i  :  i,  2,  the  word  "  elect" 
is  in  the  original  prefixed  to  "  strangers,"  whom  the 
apostle  does  not  personally  know,  but  in  the  judgment  of 
charity  assumes  to  be  sincere  Christians.  So  Paul  speaks 
charitably  of  all  the  Colossians  (3  :  12),  and  Peter  of  Sil- 
vanus  in  i  Pet.  5  :  12.  The  Greek  word  occurs  more 
than  twenty  times  in  the  N.  T.,  and  is  always  translated 
elect  except  here  and  in  Matt.  22  :  14  ;  Luke  23  :  35  ; 
Rom.  16  :  13;  I  Peter  2  :  4,  9 ;  Rev.  17  :  14.  These  and 
other  passages  in  which  it  is  rendered  elect  (e.  g.  Acts 
24  :  22  ;  Rom.  8  :  33  ;  i  Peter  2  :  6;  2  John  i)  prove  the 
sense  to  be^truly  acceptable  to  God.  The  chosen  or 
elect  are  those  among  the  called  who  make  their  "  calling 
and  election  sure"  (2  Peter  i  :  10).  The  corresponding 
Hebrew  word  {bakhir)  originally  signifies  to  try  or  prove, 
then,  to  approve  or  choose,  and  is  thus  applied  to  those 
who  are  acceptable  in  God's  eyes,  or  the  righteous  (comp. 
Isai.  65  : 9  ;  15  :  22  ;  Ps.  105  :  43).  "  They  are  the  chosen, 
who  are  not  only  called  by  the  Gospel,  but  who  also  dili- 
gently hear  it,  believe  in  Christ,  and  manifest  their  faith 
in  their  life  and  conduct.  If  thy  faith  be  still  weak,  pray 
to  God  for  His  Holy  Spirit,  and  doubt  not  that  Christ  is 
thy  Redeemer,  and  that  if  thou  sincerely  believe  in 
Him.  thou  shalt  be  saved." — LUTHER. 


lyo  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.        [xxji.  15,  16. 

'5  Then  went  the  Pharisees,  and  took  counsel  how  they  might  ensnare  him 
in  his  talk. 

A.  Then=when  their  last  attempt  had  been  unsuccess- 
ful (21  :  23-27). — B.  Took  counsel^consulted  among 
themselves. — C.  Ensnare^=catch  in  asnare  (Eccl.  9  :  12). 
In  his  talk=by  an  unguarded  expression  (Luke  20  :  20). 
They  could  not  discover  a  single  blemish  in  His  life 
(John  8  :  46)  which  would  justify  them  in  seizing  Him, 
but  foolishly  hoped  that  His  prudence  or  wisdom  might 
fail. 

'*  And  they  send  to  him  their  disciples,  with  the  Herodians,  saying. 
Master,  we  know  that  thou  art  true,  and  teachest  the  way  of  God  in  truth, 
and  carest  not  for  any  one  :  for  thou  regardest  not  the  person  of  men. 

A.  Their  disciples=young  men,  not  personally  known 
to  the  Lord,  and  whose  treacherous  purpose,  their  teachers 
hoped,  would  not  be  suspected  as  their  own  might  be. 
The  secret  "  counsel  "  or  snare  which  they  devised  (ver. 
15),  that  is,  a  temporary  coalition  with  another  party,  is 
now  developed. — 5aying=through  their  disciples,  as  in 
II  :  3,  A. — B.  The  Herodians=Jews  who  were  the 
political  partisans  and  adherents  of  Herod  Antipas 
(14  :  i),  who  was  now  in  the  city  (Luke  23  :  7).  They 
were  supporters  of  the  alliance  with  the  Romans  and  the 
political  opponents  of  the  Pharisees,  who  detested  the 
Roman  government.  These  hostile  parties  (as  in  the 
case  of  Herod  and  Pilate,  Luke  23  :  12,  between  whom 
a  personal  enmity  had  existed)  combine,  as  on  a  former 
occasion  (see  ann.  to  12  :  14,  B.),  for  the  purpose  of 
destroying  Him  whose  holy  doctrine  condemned  the 
vices  of  both. — C.  flaster  (8  :  19,  B.).  The  language  is 
respectful,  and  even  complimentary,  but  uttered  by 
"  spies  which  feigned  themselves  just  men  "  (Luke  20 :  20), 
but  were  really  wicked  (ver.  18,  below).  They  vainly 
hoped  to  gain  the  Lord's  confidence  by  flattery.     Nico- 


XX f I.  17.]  CHAPTER  XXII.  17 1 

demus,  on  the  other  hand,  spoke  with  sincerity,  in  John 
3:2;  comp.  ann.  to  27  :  57,  C. — D.  Thou  art  true=thou 
art  sincere,  always  speaking  thy  real  sentiments  without 
prevarication  or  hesitation  (comp.  the  same  word  true  in 
2  Cor  6  :  8). — E.  Teachest  .  .  .  truth=thou  teachest 
conscientiously  and  without  equivocation  or  mutilation 
("  in  truth  ")  the  way  or  path  of  duty  (Ps.  27  :  1 1),  which 
God  has  prescribed  in  His  word  (see  21  :  32,  B.).— F. 
Neither  carest,  etc.=thou  dost  neither  show  a  weak 
partiality  in  the  case  of  any  favorite,  nor  manifest  a  time- 
serving spirit ;  thou  dost  court  no  man's  favor,  and  fearest 
no  man's  frown. — Thou  regardest,  etc.=-thou  esteemest 
man  not  according  to  his  external  rank  and  wealth 
("  person  "),  but  according  to  the  integrity  of  his  character 
(comp.  James  2  :  i,  3,  9).  All  the  expressions  in  this 
verse  are  designed  to  reach  the  vanity  and  pride  of  which 
they  ignorantly  believed  the  Lord  to  be  capable,  and  to 
instigate  Him  to  utter  rash  and  bold  political  opinions, 
which  would  endanger  His  life. 

"  Tell  us  therefore,  what  thinkest  thou  ?  Is  it  lawful  to  give  tribute  unto 
Caesar,  or  not  ? 

A.  Tell  us=as  thou  art  too  conscientious  and  fearless 
to  conceal  the  truth  at  any  time. — Tribute=personal  or 
poll-tax  (see  17  :  25,  C). — Caesar.  This  title,  originally 
the  name  of  a  branch  of  the  Julian  family  at  Rome,  was 
applied,  after  the  death  of  Julius  Caesar,  to  his  successors, 
as  the  usual  title  of  dignity  (comp.  the  Russian  title 
Czar).  Here,  and  elsewhere  in  the  N.  T.,  it  is  equivalent 
to  "the  Roman  emperor  "  (see  16  :  13,  B.).  The  emperor 
who  reigned  at  that  time  was  Tiberius. — B,  Is  it  law= 
ful=cbnsistent  with  the  duty  which  a  Jew  owes  to 
Jehovah,  his  only  King,  to  give,  etc.  The  snare  concealed 
in  the  question  was  at  once  apparent  to  the  Lord.  The 
Jews  had  at  former  periods   of  national  humiliation  paid 


l'j2  THE  GOSPEL  OE  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxii.  i8. 

tribute  to  heathen  rulers  such  as  Persians  and  Babylonians. 
A  party  of  Jewish  zealots  had,  however,  been  formed 
before  the  public  appearance  of  Christ,  who,  influenced 
doubtless  in  part  by  the  numerous  calls  and  extortion  of 
the  tax-gatherers,  as  well  as  by  erroneous  views  of  religious 
duty,  maintained  that  it  was  sinful  to  acknowledge  the 
authority  of  the  heathen  emperors  of  Rome  by  the  pay- 
ment of  any  tax  or  tribute  ;  they  appealed  to  passages 
like  Deut.  17  :  15,  which,  however,  really  referred  to 
times  in  which  a  choice  between  a  heathen  and  a  Jewish 
ruler  was  possible.  The  party  was  apparently  crushed 
during  the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Augustus,  when  Judas 
of  Galilee,  mentioned  by  Gamaliel  in  Acts  5  :  37,  was 
destroyed  (Josephus,  Antiq.  18,  ch.  i).  The  great  prin- 
ciple of  this  party  was,  however,  secretly  embraced  by 
increasing  numbers  of  the  Jews  and  sustained  by  the 
Pharisees,  until  it  ultimately  led  to  the  last  Jewish  war 
and  the  complete  overthrow  of  the  Jewish  State  by  the 
Romansi  If,  then,  the  Lord  had  maintained  the  pro- 
priety of  paying  this  unpopular  tax,  the  Pharisees  were 
prepared  to  stigmatize  Him  as  a  traitor  to  His  nation  and 
His  God.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  He  expressed  His  disap- 
probation of  the  tax,  while  that  opinion  would  have  been 
popular,  it  would  have  authorized  the  Herodians  who 
were  present  (ver.  16,  B.)  in  arresting  Him  on  the  spot  as 
a  rebel  who  threatened  to  overthrow  the  government 
(see  Luke  20  :  20;  23  :  2).  At  the  same  time  the  Lord 
could  not  refuse  to  give  a  positive  answer  in  any  form 
without  becoming  suspected  at  once  by  all  parties. 

"  But  Jesus  perceived  their  wickedness,  and  said,  Why  tempt  ye  me,  ye 
hypocrites  ? 

A.  Their  wickedness==hypocrisy  (Mark),  craftiness 
(Luke);  as  He  knew  what  "was  in  man"  (John  3  :  25), 
He   saw  that  neither  patriotism   nor  religion   prompted 


XXII.  19-21.]  CHAPTER  XXII.  173 

the  question,  but  solely  a  malevolent  desire  to  endanger 
His  life. — B.  Why  tempt=why  do  ye  yield  to  the  folly 
and  malice  of  your  hearts,  by  laying  this  snare  for  Me. 
For  tempt,  see  4  :  i,  D.  ;  the  word  here  represents  men  as 
agents  of  the  great  Tempter. — C.  Ye  hypocrites=who 
pretend  to  be  just  and  conscientious  men  (Luke  20  :  20) ; 
for  hypocrites,  see  6  :  2,  D.  The  Lord  is  indeed  "  true," 
as  these  men  said  (ver.  16),  when  He  exposed  the  wicked- 
ness of  their  purpose. 

'9  Show  me  the  tribute  money.     And  they  brought  unto  him  a  penny. 

A.  Show  .  .  .  money=I  will  answer  you  at  once ; 
produce  the  tribute  money=one  of  the  Roman  coins  in 
which,  as  a  legal  tender,  you  always  pay  the  tribute. 
The  sense  is  :  You  have  your  answer  marked  on  every 
coin  which  you  handle  in  your  secular  business  ;  let  us 
examine  one. — B.  Penny=a  denarius  (see  17  :  24,  B.). 
The  obverse  of  this  imperial  Roman  coin  presented  the 
portrait  of  the  reigning  emperor  ;  the  other  side,  the 
reverse,  contained  the  inscription  or  name  and  title  of 
the  person  whose  image  appeared  on  the  obverse.  If 
there  were  room  on  the  former  for  the  inscription,  etc.,  it 
exhibited  various  symbols  of  cities,  etc. 

^°  And  he  saith  unto  them.  Whose  is  this  image  and  superscription  ? 

The  coin  in  the  Lord's  hand  exhibited  the  head  of  the 
Roman  emperor  together  with  his  name  and  title  ;  the 
latter  constituted  the  superscription  or  inscription. 

^'  They  say  unto  him,  Caesar's.  Then  saith  he  unto  them,  Render  there- 
fore unto  Caesar  the  things  that  are  Caesar's;  and  unto  God  the  things  that 
are  God's. 

A.  C£esar's=the  portrait,  name  and  title  of  the  Em- 
peror Tiberius. — B.  Then  saith  he,  etc.  The  Lord  in- 
tends to  furnish  an  answer  which,  without  fulfilling  the 
malicious  design  of  those  who  question  Him,  may  prop- 
erly guide  the  conduct   of  the  good   citizen  and  the  de- 


174  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxii.  21. 

vout  worshipper  of  God.  The  actual  circulation  of  the 
Roman,  that  is,  heathen  money,  among  the  Jews,  of  which 
the  coin  now  produced  was  the  indisputable  evidence, 
indicated  the  true  posture  of  Jewish  affairs.  The  nation 
had  been  independent  and  free  when  it  obeyed  God  ;  its 
subjection  to  the  pagan  Romans,  as  formerly  to  the 
Babylonians,  was  an  evidence  that  they  had  sinned,  and 
that  God  had  punished  them  by  the  loss  of  their  national 
independence  (see  2  Chrcn.  12:8;  Ezra  9:7;  Neh.  9  :  27, 
30).  The  common  use  of  Roman  coins  was  a  daily  ad- 
monition of  their  guilt  ;  hence  their  question  was  equiva- 
lent to  another :  Is  it  lawful  for  us  to  endure  the  divine 
punishment  of  our  sins,  or  not  ?  Paul  develops  fully 
the  duties  of  a  citizen,  when  in  Rom.,  ch.  13,  he  requires 
all  Christians  to  respect  the  established  government 
which  Divine  Providence  (John  19:  11)  has  sanctioned 
for  the  time  (see  also  i  Peter  2  :  13-17;  1  Tim.  2  :  i,  2). 
Questions  referring  to  the  civil  law  or  to  political  difficul- 
ties the  Saviour  refrained  from  discussing  (Luke  12  :  14), 
except  in  so  far  as  they  were  connected  with  the  para- 
mount duties  which  men  owe  at  all  times  to  God.  The 
sense  of  the  words  of  the  Lord  then  is :  Render=pay 
(as  the  same  word  is  translated  in  5  :  26 ;  18  :  28)  to  the 
Roman  emperor  that  which  is  his  own  ;  by  your  own 
confession  and  by  the  use  of  this  coin,  you  acknowledge 
his  authority  over  you  ;  act  towards  him  with  a  sense  of 
justice,  and  observe  the  duties  of  honest  men.  But — 
adds  the  Lord — render  unto  God  the  things  that  are 
God's.  The  same  Greek  expression  here  translated, 
things  that  are  God's,  occurs  in  16  :  23  and  in  Luke  2  :  49  ; 
in  the  latter  it  may  be  rendered  :  I  must  be  in  the  things 
of  My  Father.  The  Lord  does  not  here  refer  exclusively 
to  the  tribute  money  mentioned  in  17  :  24,  B.,  but  doubt- 
less conveys  the  following  lesson :  Your  present  relations 


XXI r.  22,  23.]  CHAPTER  XXII.  175 

to  the  Roman  government,  and,  indeed,  your  duties  as 
citizens,  do  not  exempt  you  from  the  performance  of 
your  religious  duties.  Whether  you  be  bond  or  free,  you 
may  be  enabled,  and  you  are  solemnly  bound,  to  fear, 
love  and  obey  God  (comp.  i  Cor.  7  :  20-22).  Therefore, 
while  you  are  controlled  by  the  power  of  the  Romans,  in 
consequence  of  your  sins,  you  are  the  more  impressively 
urged  to  fulfil  the  duties  of  repentance  and  faith  which 
are  God's  tilings.  "  God's  tilings 2iXQ  the  following:  Love 
to  God  and  man,  faith  in  Christ,  and  devout  obedience 
to  the  Gospel.  .  .  .  But  what  shall  we  do,  if  Caesar  com- 
mand us  to  give  God's  things  to  him,  that  is,  if  the  gov- 
ernment oppresses  the  conscience  ?  Then,  it  is  our  duty 
to  endure  persecution,  but  in  all  cases  '  to  obey  God 
rather  than  men  '  (Acts  5  :  29)." — LuTHER. 

^^  And  when  they  heard  it,  they  marvelled,  and  left  him,  and  went  their 
way. 

A.  They  marveIled=wondered  (8  :  10,  A.)  at  the 
divine  wisdom  which  had  furnished  a  direct  answer  that 
defeated  all  their  own  cunning  and  malice. — B.  Left 
him,  etc— humiliated  by  their  repeated  defeats,  and  dis- 
couraged, but  not  filled  with  a  salutary  humility  and  a 
sense  of  their  iniquity. 

"^^  On  that  day  there  came  to  him  Sadducees,  which  say  that  there  is  no 
resurrection  :  and  they  asked  him, 

A.  Sadducees.  These  persons,  who  belonged  to  a 
sect  which  was  hostile  to  that  of  the  Pharisees  (rejecting 
all  their  traditions,  etc.),  evidently  intended  to  perplex 
the  Lord  and  expose  Him  to  derision.  On  this  remark- 
able day  ("  the  same  day  ")  all  the  powers  of  darkness, 
represented  by  Herodians,  Pharisees  and  Sadducees, 
make  powerful  efforts  by  an  apparently  organized  com- 
bination to  crush  the  Lord. — B.  Which  say,  etc.  As 
the   Sadducees   appear   to   have   believed   that    the    soul 


176  THE  GOSPEL  OE  ST.  MATTHEW.        [xxii.  24-27. 

could  not  exist  without  the  body  (Josephus,  Antiq.  18,  i, 
4;  War,  2,  8,  14),  they  denied  the  immortaHty  of  the  soul, 
beside,  the  existence  of  spirits  in  general,  and  of  angels 
also  (Acts  23  :  8) ;  this  infidel  opinion,  which  implied  the 
extinction  of  the  soul  when  separated  from  the  body, 
necessarily  led  to  the  denial  of  the  doctrine  that  the  de- 
cayed bodies  of  the  dead,  who,  according  to  their  system, 
no  longer  existed  in  any  form,  would  be  raised  from  their 
graves. 

^•*  Saying,  Master,  Moses  said,  If  a  man  die,  having  no  children,  his 
brother  shall  marry  his  wife,  and  raise  up  seed  unto  his  brother. 

The  allusion  is  to  Deut.  25  :  5,  ff.,  where  the  Law  of 
the  Levirate  (see  i  :  2,  A.)  is  recorded.  This  law  referred 
only  to  the  case  of  a  man  who  died  "  without  issue  "= 
without  a  son  or  daughter  of  his  own  (Numb.  27  :  8)  to 
whom  the  inheritance  could  pass  in  regular  order.  It 
sanctioned  a  very  ancient  practice,  of  which  an  illustra- 
tion occurs  in  Gen.  38  :  8.  The  first-born  of  a  Jew  and 
his  brother's  widow  was  enrolled  in  the  family  records  as 
the  seed  or  son  of  the  deceased  brother.  The  anxiety  of 
the  Jews  to  preserve  every  branch  of  a  family  from  ex- 
tinction, and  to  prevent  the  real  estate  originally  belong- 
ing to  a  tribe  from  passing  to  another  branch  or  tribe, 
led  to  the  adoption  of  the  principle  of  this  law. 

25-27  Now  there  were  with  us  seven  brethren  :  and  the  first  married  and 
deceased,  and  having  no  seed  left  his  wife  unto  his  brother ; — In  like  man- 
ner the  second  also,  and  the  third,  unto  the  seventh. — And  after  them  all 
the  woman  died. 

A.  Now  there  were,  etc.  The  case  which  the  Sadducees 
here  describe,  if  not  probable,  was  at  least  possible,  al- 
though it  is  not  now  known  as  one  that  ever  really  oc- 
curred. Their  purpose  simply  is  to  ridicule  the  more 
pointedly  the  whole  doctrine  of  the  resurrection  (Acts  26  : 
8),  and  the  future  existence  of  men,  inasmuch  as  the  case 


XXII.  28,  29-]  CHAPTER  XXII.  177 

of  a  woman  who  had  married  only  two  brothers  succes 
sively  would  have  as  effectually  illustrated  the  point  in 
question.  The  only  means  at  their  disposal  for  castint^ 
reproach  on  a  scriptural  doctrine  consisted  in  appending 
to  it  unnatural  and  foolish  opinions;  these  inferences, 
which  the  Lord  distinctly  exposes,  were  deduced  from  the 
Pharisaic  doctrine  that  marriage  ties  would  be  renewed  in 
the  other  world — a  doctrine  for  which  no  evidence  what- 
ever existed. — B.  The  woman  died  also=without  leav- 
ing a  son  or  daughter,  whose  father  might  (as  the  Sad- 
ducees  pretended  to  reason)  claim  her  as  his  wife,  in  such 
a  case,  with  a  better  right  than  the  other  six  brothers, 
granting,  as  the  Sadducees  did,  for  the  sake  of  argument, 
that  all  would  rise  from  the  dead. 

'^'^  In   the  resurrection  therefore   whose  wife  shall  she  be  of  the  seven .-' 
for  they  all  had  her. 

The  Sadducees  say  :  As  no  children  were  left  by  any 
one  of  the  brothers,  and  as  your  doctrine  of  the  resur- 
rection must,  further,  imply  that  all  the  circumstances  of 
this  present  material  world  (marriage,  houses,  private 
property,  etc.)  will  be  repeated  in  the  future  world,— will 
there  not  (they  continue  to  ask)  be  a  difficulty  experienced 
in  deciding  with  whom,  if  they  all  really  live  again,  she 
shall  live  through  all  eternity  ?  They  really  mean : 
Moses  never  could  have  believed  in  a  resurrection  of  the 
dead,  when  he  committed  his  laws  to  writing.  Notwith- 
standing the  profanity  and  impiety  of  these  men,  the 
Lord,  for  the  sake  of  others  who  desire  to  learn,  explains 
the  subject  fully,  with  His  usual  holy  and  calm  dignity, 
and  with  divine  and  unerring  wisdom. 

-'  But  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them,  Ye  do  err,  not  knowing  the 
scriptures,  nor  the  power  of  God. 

A.     Ye  do  err,  lit.  yc  arc  led  astray,  deceived  (as  in  John 

7  :  47  ;  Tit.  3  :  3)  by  your  presumptuous    ignorance   and 


178  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxii.  30. 

by  the  spirit  of  infidelity.  As  the  Scriptures  themselves 
are  unerring  and  true,  the  nearer  we  approach  to  Scripture 
doctrine,  the  more  do  we  ourselves  become  free  from 
error. — B.  Not  .  .  .  Scriptures.  The  Sadducees  knew 
indeed  the  letter  of  the  word  of  God,  such  as  the  histori- 
cal events,  laws,  etc.,  which  it  set  forth,  but  they  did  not 
"spiritually  discern"  (i  Cor.  2  :  14)  its  true  sense  and 
meaning.  To  know,  often  signifies  in  Scripture  to  under- 
stand (26  :  70  ;  Mark  4:13;  John  20  :  9  ;  i  Cor.  14  :  11, 
Jude,  ver.  10).  The  Scriptures  of  the  O.  T.,  which 
the  Lord  here  means,  indicated  the  continued  existence 
of  the  soul  after  the 'death  of  the  body  (for  instance.  Gen. 
25  :  8  ;  2  Sam.  12  :  23  ;  Isai.  14  :  9,  10),  and  also  the 
resurrection  of  the  body  (for  instance,  Isai.  26  :  19;  Ezek. 
ch.  I'j  ;  Dan.  12  :  2.). — C.  Nor  the  power  of  God= which 
can  accomplish  all  things  (Luke  i  :  },"]),  as  your  father 
Abraham  believed  (Rom.  4  :  16,  17  ;  Hebr.  11  :  19);  that 
power  can  preserve  the  soul  alive  and  restore  the  body 
even  after  it  has  turned  to  dust ;  it  can  establish  human 
beings  in  a  new  condition  of  life  and  enjoyment,  without 
repeating,  according  to  your  narrow  and  material  views, 
all  the  modes,  forms  and  peculiarities  of  this  present 
material  world. 

^°  For  in  the  resurrection  they  neither  marry,  nor  are  given  in  marriage, 
but  are  as  angels  in  heaven. 

All  human  beings  that  have  ever  lived  and  that  now  live 
are  the  descendants  of  the  first  human  pair  (Gen.  i  :  27, 
28  ;  3  :  20 ;  Acts  1 7  :  26  ;  Rom.  5:12,  ff.).  The  angels,  on 
the  other  hand,  were  individually  created  in  a  fully  de- 
veloped form,  and  the  relations  of  parents  and  children 
do  not  apply  to  them.  Hence,  even  as  other  earthly 
transactions  (buying,  selling  and  getting  gain,  James 
4:13,  and  losses  by  death)  will  not  be  repeated  in  the 
Lternal  world,  which  will  materially  differ  from  the  present. 


xxn.  31,  32.]  CHAPTER  XXIT.  179 

SO  also  "  eating  and  drinking,  marrying  and  giving  in 
marriage  "  (24  :  38),  births  and  deaths,  are  all  peculiarities 
belonging  only  to  man's  life  in  this  world.  While  the 
lost  will  be  as  "the  devil  and  his  angels"  (25:41),  the 
redeemed  in  heaven  will  be  as  God's  angels  who  are 
immortal  spirits  (Ps.  104  :  4  ;  Hebr.  1:7);  their  bodies, 
when  raised  from  the  grave,  will  be  "  spiritual  bodies " 
(see  I  Cor.  1 5  :  42-44) :  new  families  will  not  be  con- 
stituted, "  neither  can  they  die  any  more  "  (Luke  20  :  36). 
Even  now  already  in  Christ  there  is  "  neither  male  nor 
female  "  (Gal.  3  :  28).  The  whole  tenor  of  the  Scriptures, 
which  the  Sadducees  did  not  "  know,"  indicates  that 
bodily  peculiarities  which  are  adapted  specially  or  ex- 
clusively to  this  present  world,  will  pass  away  with  it. 
Divine  wisdom  has  withheld  a  revelation  of  the  precise 
condition  of  the  risen  bodies  of  the  redeemed  ;  "  it  doth 
not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be  "  (i  John  3  :  2). 

3'  But  as  touching  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  have  ye  not  read  that 
which  was  spoken  unto  you  by  God,  saying, 

A.  Touching=with  respect  to,  concerning,  as  in  18: 
19,  B.  In  these  words  the  Lord  furnishes  to  the  Sad- 
ducees a  special  illustration  of  their  ignorance  of  the  true 
meaning  of  the  Scriptures,  and  of  the  fact  that  former 
generations  of  men  continue  to  exist. — B.  Spoken,  etc. 
The  words  quoted,  although  spoken  to  Moses  at  a  very 
remote  period,  are,  says  the  Saviour,"  spoken  unto  you." 
All  things  in  the  Scriptures  are  "  written  for  our  admo- 
nition "  (i  Cor.  10:  lO,  and  "are  profitable  for  doctrine, 
etc."  (2  Tim.  3  :  16). 

3^  I  am  the  God  of  Abraham,  and  the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the  God  of 
Jacob  ?     God  is  not  the  God  of  the  dead,  but  of  the  living. 

The  words  occur  thrice  in   Exod.    3:6-16;  there  they 

constitute  emphatically  the  Divine  Name,  in  connection 

with    the   other   name :  "  I   am    that    I    am  "—Jehovah 


l8o  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxii.  33. 

(Exod.  6  :  3).  This  sacred  Name  indicates  the  Eternity 
and  Self-existence  of  God,  and  involves  the  sense  of  the 
words  :  "  He  who  is,  and  who  was,  and  who  is  to  come  " 
(Rev.  I  :  4).  The  Saviour  here  teaches  that  God,  who 
means  all  that  He  says,  speaks  to  Moses  of  Abraham, 
Isaac  and  Jacob,  more  than  three  centuries  after  Abra- 
ham's death,  not  as  of  ancestors  who  had  ceased  to  live 
and  were  annihilated,  but  as  of  those  whose  existence 
was  uninterruptedly  maintained.  He  implies  that  they 
live  to  Him  (Luke  20:  38).  Now  if  they  were  "  dead  "  in 
the  sense  of  the  Sadducees,  that  is,  if  their  souls  were 
extinct,  then  God,  who,  in  the  days  of  Moses,  called  Him- 
self their  God,  really  called  Himself  the  God  of  nothing., 
since,  if  they  be  not  "  living  "=existing  now,  they  have 
ceased  to  be,  and  are  absolutely  nothing.  If  God  could 
not,  or  would  not  preserve  them  from  annihilation,  how 
could  He  still  be  their  God  ?  How  could  God's  blessing  be 
"  forever  "  (i  Chron.  17 :  27),  if  death  have  power  to  destroy 
it?  Could  the  infinitely  holy  and  true  God  utter  such 
unmeaning  words?  The  sense  of  His  words,  as  the 
Saviour  reasons,  must  necessarily  be  the  following : — I, 
the  eternal  God,  created  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob ; 
their  bodies  have  been  long  ago  converted  into  dust,  and 
the  completeness  of  their  nature,  the  union  of  the  body 
and  the  soul  (Gen.  2  :  7),  is  thus  interrupted  ;  but  they 
shall  be  called  from  their  graves ;  their  souls,  which  now 
live,  shall  be  reunited  with  their  bodies,  and  they  shall 
exist  in  their  complete  nature  forever^I  continue  forever 
to  be  the  God  of  their  love  and  adoration.  The  Saviour 
does  not  refer  to  the  passages  in  the  prophets  respecting 
the  resurrection  of  the  dead  (mentioned  above,  ver.  29, 
B.),  as  the  Sadducees,  without  openly  rejecting  the  pro- 
phetic writings,  were  unwilling  to  believe  doctrines  which 
were  not  found  in   the  writings  of  Moses  ;  to  the  latter 


XXII.  33-35-]  CHAPTER  XXII.  l8i 

He  accordingly  here  confines  Himself,  and  by  this  pro- 
cedure silenced  them  effectually  (ver.  34).  Even  as  the 
divinely  inspired  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  explains  many 
portions  of  the  O.  T.  (for  instance,  ch.  7  ;  ch.  9  :  8), 
so  here,  too,  the  true  meaning  of  the  divine  address  to 
Moses  is  unerringly  revealed  to  man  by  the  divine  wisdom 
of  Christ. 

"  And  when  the  multitudes  heard  it,  they  were  astonished  at  his  teach- 
ing. 

Astonished:=at  such  unexpected  disclosures  of  the  deep 

meaning   of  the   Scriptures.     The   speechlessness  of  the 

Sadducees  convinced  even  those  hearers  who   could  not 

fully  comprehend  the  subject,  that  the  Lord's  explanation 

was  unanswerable  and  triumphant. 

3*  But  the  Pharisees,  when  they  heard  that  he  had  put  the  Sadducees  to 
silence,  gathered  themselves  together. 

The  Pharisees,  on  ascertaining  that  every  effort  to  in- 
jure the  Lord  by  extorting  indiscreet  words  from  Him 
had  failed,  had  retired  (ver.  22)  and  again  consulted  to- 
gether for  the  purpose  of  devising  new  snares.  The  term 
here  translated  together  (as  also  in  Luke  17  :  35  ;  Acts 
3:1),  and  the  circumstance  that  they  are  afterwards 
(ver.  41)  found  standing  in  a  group  near  Christ,  appear  to 
indicate  that,  after  leaving  Him,  the  tidings  that  the  Sad- 
ducees had  also  been  silenced,  so  powerfully  aroused  their 
curiosity  or  their  party  feelings  or  their  hope  of  obtain- 
ing new  allies,  that  they  at  once  returned  to  the  spot. 

^'  And  one  of  them,  a  lawyer,  asked  him  a  question,  tempting  him. 

A.  One  of  them==of  the  Pharisees;  a  lawyer=aman 
versed  in  the  Mosaic  Law.  This  man,  like  the  Pharisee 
Nicodemus  (John  3:1:  19  :  39),  appears  from  Mark  12  : 
28,  34,  to  have  regarded  the  Saviour  without  the  usual 
malevolence  of  his  sect.  Another  lawyer,  mentioned  in 
Luke  10  :  25,  29,  exhibits  far  more  of  the   self-righteous- 


i82  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.        [xxii.  36,  37. 

ness  of  his  class. — B.  Tempting  him.  The  original 
word  (occurring  above,  ver.  18,  in  an  unfavorable  sense) 
is  sometimes  used,  like  a  corresponding  Hebrew  term,  as 
simply  equivalent  to  prove  (J.ohn  6  :  6),  or  try  (Rev.  2  : 
2),  in  cases  in  which,  without  hostile  purposes,  the  knowl- 
edge, wisdom  or  skill  of  any  one  is  to  be  ascertained  by 
some  test  (comp.  i  Kings  10  :  i,and  see  4  :  i,  D.).  Such 
appears,  from  the  Lord's  words  in  Mark  12  :  34,  to  have 
been  the  purpose  of  this  man.  He  accordingly  proposes, 
as  a  trial  of  the  Saviour's  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures,  a 
question  which  the  Jewish  teachers  answered  variously  in 
their  "  strivings  about  the  law  "  (Tit.  3  :  9),  by  respect- 
ively specifying  the  commandments  concerning  circum- 
cision, or  the  sacrifices,  or  the  Sabbath,  etc. 

3*  Master,  which  is  the  great  commandment  in  the  law  ? 

(See  5:19,  A.). — The  great :=emphatically,  the  leading 
duty  of  man,  as  taught  in  the  Law.  The  meaning  of 
the  question  is  :  Among  all  the  duties  which  God  has 
commanded  us  to  perform,  which  one  is  the  most  impor- 
tant=most  worthy  of  our  attention  ? 

3'  And  he  said  unto  him,  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy 
heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind. 

The  Lord  here  (ver.  37-40)  assigns  all  our  duties  to 
the  two  classes  which  appear  in  the  Decalogue :  first, 
duties  to  God  ;  secondly,  duties  to  our  fellow-men  ;  a 
third  class  sometimes  mentioned,  that  is,  duties  to  our- 
selves, really  contains  those  which  are  already  embraced 
in  the  two  former.  The  words  quoted  occur  in  Deut.  6  : 
5,  and  comp.  2  Kings  23  :  25.  The  same  passage  is 
quoted  also  in  Luke  10  :  27,  where,  as  well  as  in  Mark 
12  :  30  and  33,  slight  verbal  variations  ("strength,"  "  un- 
derstanding ")  occur ;  the  accumulation  of  the  words 
("  heart,"  "  soul,"  etc.),  which  indicates  that  they  are  to 
be  taken  as  a  whole  rather  than  in  their  individual  sense 


XXII.  3^-40- ]  CHAPTER  XXIT.  183 

respectively,  implies  that  love  to  God  (see  Exod.  20  :  6) 
must  control  the  whole  moral  nature  of  man,  so  that  his 
affections,  understanding,  conscience  and  will  in  their 
union  shall  regard  Him  as  the  Sovereign  Good.  The 
Lord's  answer  to  the  question  is,  in  one  word — Love  ! 
^^  This  is  the  great  and  first  commandment. 

The  fulfilment  of  this  great  duty  secures  the  fulfilment, 
from  the  purest  motives  and  in  the  most  acceptable  man- 
ner, of  every  duty  which  man  owes  to  God.  It  is  this 
same  principle  which  both  explains  the  ascription  of  the 
title  of  Father  to  God,  and  which  dictates  the  words  of 
the  Lord's  Prayer:  "Our  Father,  etc." 

^'  And  a  second  liite  intto  /'/is  this,  Thou  shall  love  thy  neighbour  as  thy- 
self. 

A.  The  second=if  you  next  ask  concerning  your 
obligations  towards  your  fellow-men,  as  you  well  may, 
since  the  test  of  a  professed  love  to  God  is  connected 
with  them  (i  John  4  :  20). — B.  Like  unto  it=in  spirit, 
authority  and  comprehensiveness. — C.  Thou  shalt,  etc. 
The  words,  which  occur  in  Lev.  19  :  18,  were  twice  before 
mentioned  by  the  Lord  (see  5  :  43,  C. ;  19  :  18,  19,  B,,and 
comp.  25  :  35,  36). 

*°  On  these  two  commandments  hangeth  the  whole  law,  and  the  prophets. 

A.  On  these  two=those  who  sincerely  love  God  and 
man  will  be  prompted  by  their  love  to  fulfil  every  duty 
in  every  situation  of  life  ;  such  is  the  explanation  of  the 
"  royal  law  "  (James  2  :  8)  given  by  Paul  in  Rom.  13:8- 
10;  Gal.  5  :  14;  "therefore  love  is  the  fulfilling  of  the 
law." — ^B.  I1angeth=is  suspended,  supported  by,  as,  for 
instance,  a  door  by  its  hinges.  Even  as  all  the  gracious 
purposes  of  God  in  granting  a  divine  revelation  are  coun- 
teracted by  the  want  of  love,  so,  too,  it  is  love  alone  that 
will  fulfil  the  spirit  as  well  as  the  letter  of  the  law.     True 


iSd  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.        [xxii.  41,  42, 

religion  therefore  consists  not  in  the  Pharisaic  measuring, 
weighing  and  counting  of  outward  duties  (23  :  23),  but  in 
a  course  of  Hfe  which  is  strictly  guided  by  religious /rz'//- 
ciplc — the  concurrent  action  of  the  understanding  and  the 
heart. — C.  The  law  and  the  prophets=the  inspired 
writings,  the  Word  of  God  (see  5:17,  C).  Love  is  the 
soul  of  all  true  religion.  According  to  Mark  12  :  32-34, 
the  lawyer  now  "  answered  discreetly  **  (=intelligently), 
confessed  the  truth  and  power  of  the  Lord's  words,  and 
referred  to  confirmatory  scriptural  passages,  such  as  i 
Sam.  15  :  22  ;   Ps.  40  :  8  ;  Micah  6  :  6-8. 

■"  Now  while  the  Pharisees  were  gathered  together,  Jesus   asked  them   a 
question, 

Although  the  Pharisees  (see  above,  ann.  to  ver.  34)  had 
manifested  the  utmost  malice,  the  Lord  makes  an  addi- 
tional effort  to  humble  their  hearts  and  conduct  them  to 
penitence  and  to  faith  in  His  divine  characterand  mission. 
He  demonstrates  here  their  utter  ignorance  of  the  true 
meaning  of  the  Scriptures,  which  was  betrayed  by  their 
indistinct  views  of  the  nature  of  the  Messiah.  The  con- 
versation occurs  in  one  of  the  courts  of  the  temple  (Mark 

i^  :  35)- 

*■-  Saying,  What  think  ye  of  the  Christ  ?  wliose  son  is  he  ?  They  say 
unto  him,  The  son  of  David. 

What  think,  etc.=what  is  your  doctrine  respecting 
the  promised  Messiah  ?  What  is  His  true  genealogy  ? 
The  Christ.  The  Pharisees  and  scribes  (Mark  12  :  35) 
give  the  usual  reply  (see  above,  1:1,  C).  The  answer 
here  given  does  not  however  convey  the  whole  truth,  as 
the  Pharisees  did  not  imply  the  divine  nature  of  the  Mes- 
siah. "Why  does  Christ  propose  this  question  here? 
He  had  just  said  :  Thou  shalt  love,  etc.  But  when  the 
Law  has  given  thee  a  knowledge  of  sin  (Rom.  3  :  20),  thou 
findest  that  thou  canst  not  so  love  God,  and  thou  sayest 


xx!i.  43.]  CHAPTER  XXII.  185 

mournfully  :  I  cannot  love  Thee,  O  God,  as  I  should  love 
Thee.  Then  Christ  says  :  '  Come  to  Me  ;  believe  in  Me.' 
Now  when  thou  believest  in  Christ,  He  pours  out  abun- 
dantly His  Holy  Spirit  on  thee,  and  thou  art  made  a  new 
creature  ;  //^zt'thou  lovest  Christ.  Dost  thou  not  see  that 
thou  canst  not  love  God  till  thou  knowcst  Christ?  There- 
fore He  proceeds  here  to  show  thee  who  He  is." — 
Luther. 

"5  He  saith  unto  them,  How  then  doth  David  in  the   spirit  call  him  Lord, 
saying, 

The  point  which  the  Lord's  hearers,  whom  He  here 
questions,  could  not  explain  may  be  thus  set  forth  : — It 
is  obvious  that  no  man  ever  speaks  of  any  one  of  his 
descendants  who  may  appear  in  the  world  many  cent- 
uries after  his  own  death,  as  being  his  Lord-=his  superior, 
his  sovereign.  Now,  proceeds  the  Lord,  Psalm  ex. 
was  confessedly  written  by  King  David  at  a  time  when  a 
divine  revelation  was  made  to  him  ( — in  the  Spirit^by 
the  direct  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  2  Sam.  23  :  2  ; 
Mark  12  :  36,  and  comp.  Luke  2  :  27;  Acts  i  :  16;  i  Cor. 
12  :  3  ;  2  Peter  i  :  21  ;  Rev.  i  :  10).  Further,  the  Divine 
Spirit,  in  that  Psalm,  as  ye  Jews  all  know,  refers  to  the 
Messiah's  final  and  glorious  victory  (see  Acts  2  :  34  ;  i 
Cor.  15  :  25  ;  Hebr.  10:  13).  But,  continues  Christ, 
David,  His  remote  ancestor,  and  a  mighty  and  independ- 
ent monarch  himself,  who  acknowledged  no  Lord  but 
God,  nevertheless  in  the  first  verse  of  Psalm  ex.  styles 
his  descendant,  the  Messiah,  his  Lord-=king,  there- 
by confessing  that  his  descendant  is  really  his  master 
and  sovereign.  But  if  the  Messiah  did  not  already  exist, 
how  do  you  explain  this  apparently  unmeaning  language, 
that  a  royal  ancestor  should  acknowledge  one  of  his  dis- 
tant descendants  as  his  superior,  nay,  employ  obviously 
the  language  of  adoration?     For  David  applied  the  term 


1 86  THE  GOSPEL  OF  Sr.  MATTHEW.  [xxii.  44. 

"  Lord  "  to  one  who  does  not  sit  at  God' s  feet  as  an  in- 
ferior, but  at  His  side  as  one  co-equal  in  glory  (Isai.  42  : 
8).  To  David  himself  the  true  explanation  was  given 
(2  Sam.  7  :  12,  13  ;  Ps.  89:3,4;  132:11).  The  king  was 
usually  addressed  in  the  age  of  David  by  the  title  "  my 
lord  "   (i    Sam.    16  :  16  ;  22  :  12  ;    2   Sam.  2:5;!    Kings 

I  :  13-  17.  31)- 

■•^  The  Lord  said  unto  my  Lord,  Sit  thou  on  my  right  hand,  till  I  put 
thine  enemies  underneath  thy  feet. 

A.  The  .  .  .  Lord,  lit.  according  to  the  Hebrew: 
(This  is)  the  declaration  of  Jehovah  to  my  Lord  (=my 
king),  namely,  Sit,  etc. — B,  5it  .  ,  .  hand.  It  was 
esteemed  a  high  privilege  when  the  subject  of  an  oriental 
king  was  permitted  to  stand  (or  be  stationed)  at  his  right 
hand  (Ps.  45  :  9) ;  no  higher  honor  could  be  bestowed 
than  that  which  consisted  in  the  privilege  of  sitting  at 
his  right  hand  (i  Kings  2  :  19  ;  see  above,  20  :  20,  B.), 
inasmuch  as  it  also  communicated  vast  power  to  the 
favored  individual,  and,  in  the  case  of  the  king's  son, 
imparted  royal  power  (Exod.  11:5;  i  Kings  i  :  13,  17). 
The  whole  constitutes  an  image  (feeble,  indeed,  as  all 
human  things  are  only  feeble  images  and  "  patterns " 
(Hebr.  9  :  23,  of  heavenly  things)  of  the  power  and  glory 
of  the  Son  of  God  (comp.  26  :  64,  C).  Christ's  seat  at 
the  Father's  right  hand,  which  is  so  often  mentioned  in 
the  Scriptures  (Mark  14  :  62  ;  Rom.  8  :  34 :  Eph.  i  :  20  ; 
Col.  3  :  i),  is  an  image  of  His  participation  in  the  divine 
power  and  omnipresence,  and,  generally,  of  His  possession 
of  all  the  attributes  of  God  (see  19  :  28,  D.).— C.  Till  I, 
etc.  The  act  which  is  illustrated  in  a  special  case  in 
Josh.  10  :  24,  and  to  which  these  words  seem  to  allude, 
represented  the  complete  subjugation  of  a  dangerous 
enemy  ;  the  sense  therefore  here  is,  that  all  the  enemies 
of  the  Messiah  and  His  kingdom  shall  ultimately  be  com- 


XXII.  45.  46.]  CHAPTER  XXJI.  187 

pletely   overcome  (i    Cor.    15  :  25) — Tin=till  Thy  media- 
torial glory  is  universally  acknowledged  by  all,  after  their 
defeat  (see  Rev.  11  :  15,  and  i  Cor.  15  :  24,  25). 
*'  If  David  then  calleth  him  Lord,  how  is  he  his  son  ? 

The  difficult  point  mentioned  above  (ann.  to  ver.  43), 
is  here  distinctly  presented  =  in  what  sense  could  David, 
the  independent  monarch,  humbly  acknowledge  the 
superiority  of  one  of  his  own  descendants,  and  represent 
that  descendant  as  participating  in  the  divine  glory  of 
Jehovah  Himself?  The  same  mysterious  divine  conversa- 
tion which  is  shadowed  forth,  for  instance,  in  Gen.  i  :  26 ; 
3:22;  11:7),  ("let  us"),  is  here  resumed.  Who  is 
David's  Lord  to  whom  Jehovah  speaks?  No  answer  is 
here  given  by  the  Pharisees,  but  it  lay  already  in  Ps.  2  : 
7,  and  was  given  audibly  at  the  Redeemer's  Baptism  (see 
3  :  17).  Christ  is  David's  son  "  according  to  the  flesh  " 
(Rom.  I  :  3,  4)  =  in  His  human  nature  (i  :  i),  but  the  Son 
of  God  in  His  divine  nature  (John  i  :  i,  14;  see  above, 
8  :  29,  C). 

**  And  no  one  was  able  to  answer  him  a  word,  neither  durst  any  man 
from  that  day  fortli  ask  him  any  more  questions. 

The  repeated  failures  of  the  Lord's  enemies  "  to  en- 
snare him  in  his  talk"  (ver.  15)  prevented  any  further 
exhibition  of  their  hostility  in  this  form — any  more  ques- 
tions:=proceeding  from  unholy  motives. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

'  Then  spake  Jesus  to  the  multitudes,  and  to  his  disciples. 

Then^turning  to  the  people  after  His  enemies  had 
ceased  to  address  captious  questions  to  Him.  The  dis- 
course in  this  chapter  is  the  last  of  the  Lord's  public 
addresses ;  those  that  follow  were  addressed  to  the 
disciples  alone.  Various  lessons  and  warnings  which  the 
Lord  had  delivered  on  former  occasions  (Luke,  ch.  1 1 
and  ch.  13)  are  here  repeated  with  additional  remarks. 
The  Lord,  whose  parting  words  are  now  addressed  to  the 
people,  unveils  for  the  last  time  all  the  vices  of  the 
Pharisees  and  scribes.  The  severity  with  which  He  speaks 
is  occasioned  by  the  fact  that  while  undisguised  vice 
often  repels,  vice  disguised  in  the  garb  of  religion  is  on 
that  account  the  more  plausible  and  the  more  dangerous 
to  the  unwary  ;  consequently,  it  deserves  even  a  more 
pointed  rebuke.  At  the  same  time,  the  Lord  does  not 
indicate  individuals,  but  is  describing  the  general  spirit 
and  tendency  of  the  Pharisaic  sect. 

^  Saying,  The  scribes  and  the  Pharisees  sit  on  Moses'  seat : 

A.     Sit=have  seated  themselves.     They  had  acquired 

an   ofificial  rank  and  authority  in  the  course  of  time  as 

public  teachers  of  religion.     Such  an  of^ce  was  essentially 

necessary  for  obvious   reasons,  and   had   originally  been 

assigned    by    Moses    to    the    priests,    the    sons    of    Levi 

through    Aaron    (Lev.     10  :  11  ;    Deut.     17  :  9  ;    31:9; 

33  :  10  ;    2    Chron.    19  :  8  ;     Neh.    8:4,  9;     Mai.    2  :  7). 

188 


XXIII.  3-]  CHAPTER  XXIH.  189 

After  the  Babylonian  Captivity,  when  teachers  of  the 
law  who  belonged  to  other  tribes  rose  to  eminence,  and 
synagogues  were  established,  the  priests  appear  to  have 
receded,  and  the  scribes,  who  were  originally  transcribers 
of  the  law  or  interpreters  (Neh.  8  :  8),  gradually  formed 
a  recognized  class,  and  became  the  ofBcial  teachers  of 
religion.  Their  authority  had  become  firmly  established 
during  the  century  which  preceded  the  birth  of  Christ. 
The  claims  of  the  of^ce  itself  are  here  fully  recognized  by 
the  Lord,  independently  of  the  personal  character  of 
those  who  were  invested  with  it. — B.  floses'  seat. 
"Moses  sat  to  judge  the  people"  (Exod.  18  :  13),  and 
through  him  the  law  was  given.  When  these  persons 
officially  read  and  interpreted  the  laws  of  Moses,  the 
Lord  figuratively  describes  them  as  occupying  the  "  seat 
of  Moses."  "  But  when  they  began  to  teach  doctrines  at 
variance  with  the  spirit  of  the  law,  whatever  their  pre- 
tensions might  be,  they  no  longer  sat  in  Moses  seat. 
So,  too,  when  the  Pope  tells  me  to  earn  my  salvation  by 
my  works,  and  when  he  makes  no  account  of  the  merits 
of  Christ,  he  certainly  does  not  sit  in  St.  Peter's  chair." — 
Luther. 

^  All  things  therefore  whatsoever  they  bid  you,  these  do  and  observe  : 
but  do  not  ye  after  their  works  ;  for  they  say,  and  do  not. 

A.  AH  things  therefore  ...  do.  The  word  therefore 
can  refer  to  no  other  circumstance  than  the  high  author- 
ity possessed  by  the  law,  as  coming  from  Moses,  the 
inspired  teacher.  The  sense  is  :  Do  all  that  Moses  com- 
mands :  give  heed  to  his  own  words  as  these  are  publicly 
read  to  you.  The  word  all  evidently  means  all  things 
eonsistent  tvith  God's  zuord,  as  in  Col.  3  :  22,  and  does  not 
include  commands  or  religious  observances  which  flow 
from  an  exclusively  Pharisaic  and  corrupt  source,  and 
which  make  the  law  "  of    none  effect"  (15  :  6);  against 


I  go  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxiii.  4. 

such  lessons  the  warning  is  here  emphatically  directed. 
The  Bereans,  who  applied  the  Scriptures  as  a  sure  test  of 
the  truth,  are  mentioned  in  Acts  17  :  11  as  a  model  for 
Christians. — B.  But  do  ,  .  .  works=do  not  act  in  ac- 
cordance with  their  special  precepts ;  do  not  make  it  a 
matter  of  conscience  to  observe  the  religious  duties 
which  are  devised  and  required  by  them  as  meritorious 
"  works."  The  works  which  the  traditions  of  the  Phar- 
isees required  were  not  enjoined  by  the  law,  and,  in 
reality,  constituted  a  mere  mechanical  religion — a  religion 
of  cold  and  heartless  formality,  such  as  the  cases  men- 
tioned in  15  :  1-6,  and  the  extra  fasts,  public  distribution 
of  alms,  conspicuousnesss  in  the  act  of  praying,  and  simi- 
lar points  which  are  specified  below,  for  instance,  in  ver. 
23.  The  "  works  "  accordingly,  here  mentioned,  do  not 
mean  the  conduct  of  the  men,  which  to  the  public  eye 
appeared  to  be  eminently  correct  and  pure,  but  in  general 
their  motives  and  their  doctrines,  for  which  see  16  :  12,  B. — 
C.  For  .  .  .  not=for,  while  they  pretend  that  the  higher 
sanctity  derived  from  such  practices  is  necessary  to  all, 
they  themselves  in  reality  forbear  to  follow  after  true 
holiness  :  they  do  not  keep  even  the  laws  which  Moses 
has  set  forth,  but  totally  neglect  them  (ver.  23,  below ; 
comp.  Rom.  2  :  17-24). 

*  Yea,  they  bind  heavy  burdens  and  grievous  to  be  borne,  and  lay  them  on 
men's  shoulders;  but  they  themselves  will  not  move  them  with  their  finger. 

A.  For  .  .  .  shoulders  (see  11  :  28,  B.).  The  Lord, 
who  proceeds  to  furnish  the  grounds  of  the  foregoing 
prohibition,  compares  the  many  minute  specifications  of 
men's  religious  duties,  as  enumerated  by  Pharisaic  hypoc- 
risy, to  a  very  heavy  weight,  using  a  word  which  de- 
scribes a  bundle  composed  of  pieces  of  wood  and  intended 
for  fuel,  under  which  the  carrier  staggers,  or  the  cargo 
of  a  vessel  (Acts  27  :  10). — Grievous  to  be  borne=  difficult 


xxiir.  5.]  CHAPTER  XXIII.  191 

to  carry,  oppressive ;  the  sense  is,  that  they  perplex  the 
consciences  of  men  by  wickedly  imposing  duties  which 
God  never  prescribed.  Thus  they  convert  the  service  of 
God,  which  should  be  a  source  of  joy  to  a  grateful  heart, 
into  a  laborious  and  unsatisfactory  mechanical  employ- 
ment. On  the  other  hand,  "  His  commandments  are  not 
grievous  (lit.  heavy)''  (i  John  5  :  3),  since  a  living  faith 
in  the  heart  produces  a  love  to  God  so  strong  and  so 
deep,  that  the  keeping  of  His  commandments  (John  14  : 
15)  is  gratefully  acknowledged  to  be  an  honor,  a  privi- 
lege and  a  blessing  (comp.  Matt.  11  :  30,  and  see  Ps.  119). 
— B.  But  they,  etc.=they,  on  the  contrary,  knowing 
the  emptiness  and  folly  of  their  pretended  religious  acts, 
are  never  disturbed  by  any  reproaches  of  conscience  for 
not  observing  their  own  precepts  in  their  private  and 
domestic  life  ;  further,  they  scorn  the  "  weightier  matters 
of  the  law"  (ver.  23),  the  true  duties  of  religion,  and 
thus  they  really  emancipate  themselves  from  every 
religious  obligation  (ver.  5,  A.,  below),  like  the  sluggard 
to  whom  the  act  even  of  bending  one  of  his  fingers  is 
a  labor  which  he  shuns. — Not  move  .  .  .  finger=a  pro- 
verbial phrase  indicating  the  entire  absence  of  interest 
and  effort  (comp.  Rom.  2  :  17-23). 

'  But  all  their  works  they  do  for  to  be  seen  of  men  :  for  they  make 
broad  their  phylacteries,  and  enlarge  the  borders  of  their  garments. 

A.  But  .  •  ,  men  (see  6  :  i,  2,  5,  16,  which  passages 
amply  illustrate  the  present  words).  The  Lord  evidently 
means  that  the  religion  of  the  Pharisees  was  altogether 
hollow  and  delusive,  and  that  they  sought,  not  the  divine 
approbation,  but  exclusively  human  applause  and  admira- 
tion ;  the  inference  seems  authorized  that  they  did  not 
pray,  give  alms,  or  perform  any  "  good  work "  from 
religious  principle,  or  when  admiring  spectators  were 
not  present.     "  Closet   prayer "   had    no    attractions    for 


192  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxiii.  6. 

them. — B.  Phylacteries=guards,  memorials,  means  of 
observing"  tlie  law.  These  were  prayer-fillets  or  strips  of 
parchment  enclosed  in  leather,  on  which  certain  portions 
of  the  law  were  written,  as,  Exod.  13  :  3-10  ;  ver.  11-16; 
Deut.  6:4-9;  II  •  i3~-i-  Iri  consequence  of  a  literal 
interpretation  of  Exod.  13  :  9,  16;  Deut.  6:8;  11  :  18 
(where,  as  in  Prov.  3:3:  6:21  ;  7:3,  a  constant  and 
earnest  attention  to  the  divine  will  is  figuratively  de- 
scribed), one  of  these  articles  was  attached  to  the  fore- 
head, and  another  to  the  left  arm  next  to  the  heart  on 
the  inside,  between  the  elbow  and  shoulder ;  both  were 
worn  during  the  act  of  prayer.  The  practice,  which  is 
still  observed  by  the  Jews,  probably  originated  after  the 
Babylonian  Captivity  ;  it  encouraged  the  hypocritical 
spirit  of  the  Pharisees,  and  was,  besides,  connected,  in  the 
course  of  time,  with  many  superstitious  opinions,  accord- 
ing to  which  these  articles  were  regarded  as  amulets  or 
charms,  protecting  against  external  injuries,  evil  spirits, 
etc. — C.  Enlarge  the  borders,  etc.  (see  9  :  20,  C).  In 
both  of  the  cases  here  mentioned,  the  increased  size  was 
intended  to  attract  public  attention,  and  to  express 
emphatically  the  piety  of  the  wearers.  The  Pharisees 
measured  religion  by  inches  !  Can  we  wonder  that  the 
Lord  solemnly  exclaims  in  this  chapter:  "  Woe  unto  you, 
Pharisees  !  "  ? 

*  And  love  the  chief  place  at  feasts,  and  the  chief  seats  in  the  syna- 
gogues. 

A.  Chief  .  .  .  feasts,  lit.  the  first  place  of  reclining 
(at  the  table),  or  post  of  honor  (comp.  Luke  14:7,  ff., 
and  see  ann.  to  8  :  11,  D.). — B.  Chief  seats,  lit.  first 
scats  (Luke  1 1  :  43  ;  20  :  46),  elevated  and  conspicuous, 
and  considered  more  honorable  than  the  others  (comp. 
James   2  :  3).     The  ambition  which   covets  such  a  petty 


xxfii.  7-IO.]  CHAPTER  XXIII.  193 

distinction   is  no  mark  of  a  true  Christian,  and  ought  not 
to  be  entertained  by  him. 

'  And  the  salutations  in  the  market-places,  and  to  be  called  of  men,  Rabbi. 

A.  Market=places(i  I  :  16,  B.);  the  large  numbers  therj 
assembled  furnished  the  vain  Pharisees  with  spectators 
of  the  honorable  salutations  which  they  received. — B. 
Rabbi.  The  Hebrew  word  Rab^wwc/',  great,  was  spe- 
cially employed  as  a  title  of  office,  and  is  translated  captain 
(2  Kings  25  :  8),  officer  (Esth.  i  :  8),  master  {X^txw.  1:3;  s'^e 
also  Matt.  2:1,  E.).  It  was  afterwards  applied  to  the 
Jewish  teachers  of  the  law  as  a  term  of  respect,  in  the 
sense  of  master,  teacher.  When  such  a  teacher  was  ad- 
dressed with  special  reverence,  as  in  the  case  of  Christ 
(Matt.  26  :  25  ;  John  i  :  38),  he  was  styled  Rabbi'=my 
master.  The  latter  form  is  retained  by  the  modern  Jews, 
Rabbi,  Rabbins.  During  the  age  preceding  the  appear- 
ance of  Christ,  and  particularly  at  the  time  when  He  com- 
menced to  teach,  every  Jew  who  professed  to  be  a  teacher 
of  the  law  eagerly  sought  after  such  titles  of  honor  as 
rab,  rabbi,  and  the  repetition  of  the  latter  was  deemed  an 
additional  mark  of  honor.  The  nearly  equivalent  terms 
Rabban  and  Rabboni  (the  latter  in  John  20  :  16,  as  a 
Galilean  form)  were  regarded  as  still  more  emphatically 
honorable  terms  of  address.  This  puerile  desire  for  un- 
substantial honors  on  the  part  of  the  Jewish  teachers 
really  seemed  to  indicate  their  own  consciousness  that 
they  deserved  none  which  were  real. 

^-'°  But  be  not  ye  called  Rabbi :  for  one  is  your  teacher,  and  all  ye  are 
brethren.  And  call  no  man  your  father  on  the  earth  :  for  one  is  your 
Father,  which  is  in  heaven.  Neither  be  ye  called  master  :  for  one  is  your 
Master,  even  the  Christ. 

As  in  ver.  6,  the  Lord  by  no  means  forbids  any   one  to 
occupy  prominent  places,  but  only   rebukes  the  vanity  or 
pride  which  covets  the  honor,  so,  too,  a  distinction  is  here 
13 


ig4  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxiii.  lo. 

made  between  the  mere  acceptance  of  titles  and  a  puerile 
and  corrupt  desire  for  them.  The  Lord's  meaning  in 
uttering  these  prohibitions  may  be  gathered  from  the 
following  considerations :  Official  titles,  descriptive  of 
the  duties  of  an  office,  and  appellations  which  respect  and 
affection  are  prompted  to  bestow  (8  :  19,  B.)  are  abun- 
dantly sanctioned,  within  proper  limits,  by  the  N.  T.  • 
Thus,  the  term  tcacJicr  ("  Master  "  in  John  i  :  38)  is  the 
equivalent  of  Rabbi,  and  corresponds  to  the  original  word 
translated  in  ver.  8  and  10  master  (lit,  leader,  guide);  so 
the  title  teacher  is  adopted  in  Acts  13:1;  i  Cor.  12  :  28; 
Eph.  4  :  II.  The  Lord  Himself  recognizes  the  title  in 
John  3  :  10  as  belonging  to  Nicodemus  (in  the  original 
emphatically  :  //^r  master).  The  term  father,  as  a  respect- 
ful appellation,  occurs  already  in  the  O.  T.  (2  Kings  2  :  12; 
6:21;  13  :  14).  Paul  regards  himself  as  the  spiritual 
father  of  those  whom  he  was  the  means  of  conducting  to 
Christ  (i  Cor.  4:15;  Gal.  4  :  19  ;  i  Tim.  1:2;  Philem. 
ver.  10),  and  repeatedly  claims  the  highest  titles  known 
in  the  Church  (i  Tim.  2  :  7;  2  Tim.  i  :  11).  John  ad- 
dresses certain  believers  as  "  fathers  "  (i  John  2:13,  14). 
The  present  words  are  evidently  directed  against  that 
unholy  spirit  of  party  which  elevates  human  teachers  to 
an  equality  with  Christ,  of  which  a  striking  illustration 
is  given  in  i  Cor.  i  :  12.  The  sense  is  the  following: — 
Yield  implicit  faith,  resign  your  judgment  and  con- 
science completely  to  no  human  teacher,  as  if  he  were  per- 
fect and  infallible ;  such  homage  belongs  to  0)ic  alone,  who 
is  unerring  (Col.  2:3);  He  alone  is  your  master  (lit. 
leader,  guide).  Obey  the  commands  of  no  human  being 
("  on  earth  ")  with  the  feeling  that  his  power,  or  wisdom, 
or  love  can  never  fail ;  such  are  the  divine  attributes  of 
your  Father  in  heaven  alone.  (See  John  6  :  45  ;  i  Thess. 
4  :  9.) — All  ye  are  brethren=ye   are  all   equals,  the  chil- 


XXIII.  II,  I2.J  CHAPTER  XXIII.  195 

dren  of  one  Father;  hence,  let  no  one  of  you  assume 
"  dominion  over  the  faith  "  of  others  (2  Cor,  i  :  24) ;  there 
shall  be  no  privileged  class  in  the  Christian  Church.  Do 
not,  then,  imitate  the  Pharisees,  nor  covet  empty  titles 
of  honor,  when  such  a  course  has  the  effect  of  substitut- 
ing your  authority  and  opinions  in  the  place  of  the  divine 
authority  and  wisdom.  Mere  titles  applied  by  respect 
and  affection  are  not  only  harmless  but  appropriate,  when 
the  divine  honor  is  neither  intentionally  nor  virtually 
impaired.  Hence  Luke  addresses  Theophilus  by  the 
title  "  most  excellent  "  (Luke  i  :  3),  and  Paul  applies  the 
same  to  Festus  (Acts  26  :  25,  "  most  noble  ").  The  more 
modern  title  of  Doctor  (which  is  merely  the  Latin  word 
for  teacher)  of  Medicine,  Divinity  or  Laws  simply  in- 
dicates one  who  has  studied  a  particular  science  so 
diligently  that  he  has  become  qualified  to  be  a  teacher  of 
it,  either  by  his  example  in  the  regular  practice  of  his 
profession,  or  by  direct  instructions  as  a  professor. 

"  But  he  that  is  greatest  among  you  shall  be  your  servant. 

The   Lord's  purpose  to  extinguish  vanity  and  pride  in 

His  disciples  leads  Him  to  remind  them  of  similar  lessons 

which  He  had  already  inculcated  (see  above,   20  :  26,  B,, 

and  18:4,  B.). 

'^  And  whosoever  shall  exalt  himself  shall  be  humbled;  and  whosoever 
shall  humble  himself  shall  be  exalted. 

Luke  describes  two  additional  cases  (14  :  11  ;  18  :  14), 
in  which  the  Lord  uttered  the  same  impressive  words, 
and  which  appear  to  allude  to  Ezek.  21  :  26 ;  in  the 
former  case  (14:7-11),  the  parable  or  illustration  em- 
ployed by  the  Lord  explains  the  sense  at  once  ;  even  as 
the  foolish  love  of  distinction  is  there  described  as 
succeeded  by  shame  and  mortification,  so,  in  a  spiritual 
sense,  God  will  disappoint  and  abase  the  proud,  while  He 
"  giveth  grace  unto  the  humble  "  (James  4:6;   i  Pet.  5  :  5, 


196  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.      [xxiii.  13,  15. 

and  comp.  Isai.  57:15;  66  :  2  ;  Job  22  :  29 ;  Luke  1:51, 

52). 

"  But  woe  ulito  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites !  because  ye  shut 
the  kingdom  of  heaven  against  men  :  for  ye  enter  not  in  yourselves,  neither 
suffer  ye  them  that  are  entering  in  to  enter. 

A.  Woe  (see  11  :  21,  A.).  The  frequent  repetition  of 
this  word  in  the  present  direct  address  to  the  scribes  and 
Pharisees  indicates  the  awful  doom  which  their  persistent 
iniquity  was  bringing  upon  them  (comp.  2  Peter  2  :  3, 
fT.,  and  see  below,  24:51). — Hypocrites,  6:2,  D. — B. 
Because  ye,  etc.  The  Lord  compares  the  kingdom  of 
grace  which  He  came  to  establish  to  a  palace  or  temple ; 
the  "key"  (Luke  11  :  52)  is  a  saving  knowledge  of  His 
Person  and  work  (John  17:3;  Luke  i  :  j']').  The  two- 
fold impiety  of  the  Pharisees,  which  conducts  them  to 
perdition  ("  woe  "),  consists  in  their  own  unbelief  and 
rejection  of  the  Saviour,  and  in  their  unceasing  efforts  to 
deter  others  who  are  inclined  to  receive  Christ  ("  are 
entering")  from  believing  in  Him  and  following  Him,  as 
in  John  9  :  24;  i  Thess.  2  :  16. — Against  men,  lit.  before 
men=when  it  is  at  hand,  and  already  in  their  presence. 

"  Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites !  for  ye  compass  sea 
and  land  to  make  one  proselyte  ;  and  when  he  is  become  so,  ye  make  him 
twofold  more  the  son  of  hell  than  yourselves. 

A.  Compass==/'rrt7Y'/  about,  go  up  and  down,  as  in  4  : 
23  ;  Acts  13  :  11. — B.  Sea  and  land^every  spot  where 
you  hope  to  find  one — a  proverbial  expression. — C.  Pros- 
elyte. The  word  (signifying  any  one  that  has  come  up  to, 
approaehcd)  occurs  also  Acts  2  :  lo;  6  :  5  ;  13  :  43,  and 
designated  originally  a  convert  from  paganism  to  Judaism. 
A  proselyte  is  sometimes  called  "  one  that  fears  God, 
devout  "  (Acts  13  :  16,  50);  the  name,  as  in  the  case  of 
Cornelius  (Acts  10  :  2),  describes  heathen  who  had 
learned  to  believe  that  Jehovah  alone  was  God.     Those 


xxin.  15.]  CHAPTER  XXIII.  197 

who  renounced  idolatry  and  acknowledged  the  God  of 
Abraham,  without  submitting  to  circumcision,  were 
termed  "  proselytes  of  the  gate  "=did  not  fully  enter 
the  Jewish  communion.  He  who  embraced  the  Jewish 
religion  in  its  full  extent,  according  to  Exod.  12  :  48,  was 
termed  a  "  proselyte  of  righteousness."  It  was  agree- 
able to  the  divine  will  to  reclaim  blind  heathen  and  con- 
duct them  to  the  only  true  God.  The  Pharisees,  how- 
ever, were  not  influenced  by  a  holy  missionary  spirit,  but 
solely  labored  to  make  Pharisees,  that  is,  sectarian  Jews, 
in  order  to  strengthen  their  own  party,  and  were  not 
anxious  to  increase  the  number  of  true  worshippers  of 
God.  Hence  their  converts,  who  were  not  governed  by 
the  fear  and  love  of  God,  but  were  influenced  by  mere 
temporal  considerations  in  making  a  profession  of  the 
Jewish  faith,  often  retained  all  their  heathen  vices  and 
added  to  these  all  the  hypocrisy  and  impiety  of  the  Phar- 
isees, exhibiting  a  frightful  degree  of  wickedness  and  dis- 
gracing the  name  of  religion  even  more  than  the  original 
Pharisees.  They  were,  in  this  sense,  twofold  worse  than 
their  guides,  by  bringing  even  greater  reproach  than  the 
latter  on  revealed  religion. — D.  Son  (see  8:12,  A.)= 
fitted  for,  as  in  Deut.  25  :  2,  where  the  Hebrew  words 
translated  "  worthy  to  be  beaten  "  are  equivalent  to :  a 
son  of  stripes.  So  in  i  Sam.  26  :  16,  David  calls  Saul's 
attendants  "  sons  of  death  "  in  the  Hebrew=pre-emi- 
nently  worthy  of  the  punishment  of  death  (comp.  i  Sam. 
20:31,  margin).  So  Judas  is  a  "son  of  perdition" 
(John  17  :  I2)=fitted  by  his  voluntarj;-  acts  for  no  other 
lot  (see  26  :  24,  D.). — WoW^geenna  (see  5  :  22,  G.).  The 
ungodly  Pharisee  himself,  and  his  ungodly  heathen  con- 
vert, both  receive  their  sentence  here,  which  consigns  them 
to  eternal  punishment ;  both  are  "  sons  of  hell  "=cor- 
respond  in  their   ungodly  feelings   and   conduct   to    that 


198  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.      [xxiii.  16,  17. 

abode  of  darkness  and  pain,  where  the  love  and  fear  of 
God  have  no  home. 

i6_i7  Woe  unto  you,  ye  blind  guides,  which  say,  Whosoever  shall  swear 
by  the  temple,  it  is  nothing ;  but  whosoever  shall  swear  by  the  gold  of  the 
temple,  he  is  a  debtor.  Ye  fools  and  blind  :  for  whether  is  greater,  the 
gold,  or  the  temple  that  hath  sanctified  the  gold  ? 

A.  Blind  guides  (see  15  :  14,  B.).  The  Lord  had,  in 
the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  (5  :  33-37),  exposed  the  levity 
and  profanity  of  the  Pharisees  as  exhibited  in  their  doc- 
trine concerning  oaths.  He  resumes  the  subject  here,  and 
exhibits  in  detail  their  unfitness  to  be  religious  teachers  ; 
they  are  blind  guides,  \w\iosq  lessons  only  lead  into  danger. 
According  to  their  impious  system  (see  above,  5  :  34,  A.), 
an  oath  in  which  neither  the  name  of  God  nor  a  direct 
reference  to  Him  occurred,  while  it  sccuud  to  impose  an 
obligation,  was,  in  reality,  110  oath — it  apparently  made 
the  declaration  of  the  Pharisee  worthy  of  reliance,  but  in 
fact  left  him,  as  he  supposed,  at  liberty  to  utter  any 
falsehood.  The  Lord,  on  the  contrary,  denounces  him 
in  such  a  case  as  a  perjured  man. — B.  It  is  nothing=an  oath 
in  the  form  :  "  By  this  temple  I  swear  that,  etc.,"  is  nothing 
in  itself — said  the  Pharisees;  it  does  not  require  the  truth 
to  be  spoken. — C.  The  goId=either  the  treasury  (13 
chests  in  the  court  of  the  women,  Mark  12  :  41),  or,  more 
probably  the  sacred  utensils  mentioned  in  Exod.  25  :  17, 
29,  31,  38.  If  the  phrase,  "  the  gold  of  the  temple,"  be 
substituted  in  the  oath  for  that  of  "  the  temple  "  {iiaos,/^  : 
5,  E.),  then,  as  the  Pharisees  said,  he  who  thus  swears  is 
a  debtor=is  bound  to  keep  the  oath  (ver.  18,  B.). — D. 
Fools  (see  5  :  22,  P.).  The  Lord,  who  is  the  sovereign 
Judge  of  men,  here  already  pronounces  a  sentence  ac- 
cording to  His  absolute  authority  and  unerring  knowledge 
and  wisdom.  They  were  fools  (=devoid  of  all  under- 
standing) in  supposing  that    an  inanimate  thing,  as  gold, 


xxiii.  i8,  19.]  CHAPTER  XXIII.  199 

can  be  a  witness  to  an  oath  independently  of  the  Hving 
God. — E.  Whether=which  (of  the  two),  as  in  9  :  5  ;  21  : 
31. — F.  Is  greater,  etc.=why  do  you  declare  that  an 
oath  "  by  the  gold  "  is  one  that  must  be  kept,  but  not 
one  "  by  the  temple,"  when  the  former  oath  can  have  no 
meaning  nor  solemnity,  unless  there  be  in  it  a  reference 
to  the  temple,  the  "house"  of  God  (21  :  13,  B.),  the 
sacred  character  of  which  alone,  as  the  greater  (=^more 
important  of  the  two),  gives  a  sacred  character  to,  or 
sanctifieth,  the  gold  of  the  treasury  belonging  to  it 
(ver.  21). 

".  ''  And,  Whosoever  shall  swear  by  the  altar,  it  is  nothing ;  but  who- 
soever shall  swear  by  the  gift  that  is  upon  it,  he  is  a  debtor.  Ye  blind  ;  for 
whether  is  greater,  the  gift,  or  the  altar  that  sanctifieth  the  gift  .^ 

A.  Altar.  Two  altars  were  employed  in  the  service 
of  the  tabernacle  and  temple,  the  altar  of  burnt  offerings 
(Exod.  27  :  1-8),  and  the  altar  of  incense  (Luke  i  :  11); 
for  the  latter,  see  Exod.  30  :  i-io;  37  :  25  ;  40  :  26  ;  i 
Kings  6  :  22  ;  7  :  48  ;  Rev.  8  :  3.  The  former,  which  is 
mentioned  in  ver.  35,  below,  and  is  also  meant  here  and 
in  5  :  23,  stood  in  the  court  of  the  priests  in  the  open  air 
(Exod.  27  ;  I,  ff.;  29:  12  ;  38  :  I,  ff.;  i  Kings  8  :  22  ;  9:  25  ; 
2  Chron.  4  :  i  ;  7  :  7);  — it  is  nothing  (see  ver.  16);  — swear 
(see  5  :  34,  A.). — B.  Gift  upon  it=any  offering  (see  Lev., 
ch.  1-4) ;  the  gift  itself  was  not  accepted  by  the  Lord 
unless  it  was  brought  to  the  holy  place  which  He 
had  appointed  (Deut.  12  :  13,  14)  and  "  touched  the  altar" 
(Exod.  29 :  37).  Hence,  as  the  altar  alone  gave  a  religious 
character  to  the  gift,  the  former  obviously  possessed  a 
higher  character  itself.  By  a  device  as  impious  in  design 
as  it  was  puerile  in  form,  the  Pharisees  transferred  the 
character  of  the  altar  to  the  gift,  and  alleged  that  an  oath 
by  the  latter  alone  bound  the  person. — Debtor,  bound  to 
keep  his  oath. 


200  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.      [xxiii.  20-23. 

^°  He  therefore  that  sweareth  by  the  altar,  sweareth  by  it,  and  by  all 
things  thereon. 

The  sense  is  :  If  you  profess  a  willingness  to  bind  your- 
selves by  an  oath,  but  intend  to  evade  the  obligation,  you 
utterly  fail;  both  an  oath  "by  the  altar"  and  one  "by 
the  gift "  are  alike  either  binding,  or  are  alike  mere 
mockery ;  such  an  oath  can  have  no  meaning,  unless  it 
be  a  direct  appeal  to  Him  to  whom  both  the  altar  and 
the  gift  are  alike  consecrated. 

^'  And  he  that  sweareth  by  the  temple,  sweareth  by  it,  and  by  him  that 
dwelleth  therein. 

Your  oath  "  by  the  temple "  (ver.  16) — the  Lord 
proceeds — if  it  be  not  meant  as  a  mockery  of  the  Most 
High,  is  one  that  binds  you  ;  for  why  is  the  temple  at  all 
mentioned  as  a  holy  place,  if  the  appeal  be  not  made 
directly  to  Him  whose  presence  alone  converts  it  into  a 
holy  place?  (Matt.  12:4;   i  Kings  8:13). 

"  And  he  that  sweareth  by  the  heaven,  sweareth  by  the  throne  of 
God,  and  by  him  that  sitteth  thereon. 

(See  above  5  :  34,  C.)  On  the  distinction  between 
lawful  and  unlawful  oaths,  see  above,  5  :  34,  B.  Such 
awful  irreverence  and  deliberate  violations  of  every  law 
of  God  lead  the  Lord  here,  in  His  holy  displeasure,  to 
term  such  religious  teachers,  hypocrites,  fools  and  blind 
leaders. 

"'^  Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites  !  for  ye  tithe  mint 
and  anise  and  cummin,  and  have  left  undone  the  weightier  matters  of  the 
law,  judgment  and  mercy,  and  faith  :  but  these  ye  ought  to  have  done,  and 
not  to  have  left  the  other  undone. 

A.  Tithe.  The  word  means  a  tcjith  part.  Besides  the 
first-fruits,  the  law  required  of  the  Jews  the  tenth  part 
of  all  the  produce  of  the  earth,  chiefly,  however,  of  fruit- 
bearing  trees  and  fields,  namely,  corn  (grain),  wine  and 
oil  ;  the  tithes    of  articles   of  comparatively  insignificant 


xxni.  23.]  CHAPTER  XXIII.  201 

value,  as  the  produce  of  a  garden,  were  not  specially- 
exacted  ;  the  proceeds  were  designed  for  the  temple 
service,  the  support  of  the  priests  and  Levites,  etc.  (see 
Lev.  27:30;  Numb.  18:21,24,26;  Deut.  12  : 6,  17 ;  14: 
22,  23,  28,  29).  The  Pharisees,  however,  for  the  sake  of 
maintaining  their  reputation  for  piety,  added  new  points 
to  the  requisitions  of  the  law,  and  offered  tithes  of  "  all 
manner  of  herbs  "  (Luke  1 1  :  42)=garden  plants. — B. 
Mint^garden  or  spear  mint,  with  which  the  Jews  strewed 
the  floors  of  their  houses  ; — anise,  properly,  dill,  as  the 
margin  also  renders  the  word,- — an  aromatic  plant  ; — 
cummin,  or  cumin,  a  plant  bearing  seeds  of  a  pungent 
and  disagreeable  taste,  and,  like  the  two  former,  of  little 
value. — C.  Weightier,  lit,  hcavicr=-move  momentous, 
important,  impressive  or  solemn,  as  in  2  Cor.  10  :  10  ; — 
the  Iaw=^the  divine  law  given  through  the  agency  of 
Moses.  The  Lord  doubtless  refers  here  to  Micah  6  :  8. 
An  illustration  of  the  Pharisaic  observance  of  forms  and 
violation  of  divine  commandments  is  found  below  (26:  59, 
C.).— D.  Judgment  .  .  .  faith.  These  are  mentioned  as 
representatives  of  the  "  weightier  matters  "  or  things  of 
the  law,  for  the  neglect  of  which  they  could  not  atone 
by  trivial  offerings  like  tithes  of  common  garden  vege- 
tables. Luke  mentions  in  1 1  :  42  "  judgment  and  the  love 
of  God." — Judgment.  The  use  of  the  corresponding 
Hebrew  term,  also  translated y//c^7/^r/^/  (Gen.  18  :  19;  Ps. 
33  :  5  ;  loi  :  I  ;  Isai.  1:17;  Hos.  12:6)  indicates  that  the 
Lord  here  means  equity  or  integrity  in  general,  and 
specially,  impartiality  and  disinterestedness  in  judicial 
decisions,  as  the  result  alike  of  the  true  fear  and  love  of 
God,  and  of  an  enlightened  love  to  man  (see  12  :  18,  E.). 
The  word  mercy,  in  the  sense  of  pity  or  compassion,  may 
be  designed  to  represent  specially  those  duties  to  man 
w'.iich  are  repeatedly  mentioned  below  (ch.  25  :  35-45),  and 


202  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxiii.  24. 

the  neglect  of  which  betrays  a  want  of  love  to  God. — 
Faith  may  here  indicate  that  reliance  on  God's  truth,  and 
that  implicit  confidence  in  His  promises  of  redemption, 
which,  when  firmly  established  in  the  mind  and  heart, 
give  a  new  character  to  the  life  and  conduct,  and  of  which 
bright  examples  are  found  in  the  sacred  records,  such  as 
those  mentioned  in  Hebr.,  ch,  11. — E. — These=the  fear 
and  love  of  God,  and  love  to  man,  are  the  great  duties 
prescribed  by  the  law  (see  ch.  22  :  36-40). — F,  And  not 
to,  etc.  While  the  tithes  of  mint,  etc.,  were  of  no  great 
value,  and  were  not  absolutely  required,  nevertheless  the 
Lord  often  teaches  that  in  matters  apparently  trivial 
("one  jot  or  one  tittle"  of  the  law,  5  :  18)  a  holy  spirit 
may  be  manifested  (see  aiin.  to  10  :  42).  Hence,  the 
offering  of  such  tithes  ought  not  in  a  contemptuous 
spirit  to  be  left  undone=neither  the  performance  nor  the 
omission  of  an  act  is  so  insignificant  in  God's  eyes,  that 
He  does  not  discern  in  the  one  case  and  in  the  other 
cither  reverence  and  love  to  Him,  or  selfish  and  sinful 
sentiments. 

^■*  Ye  blind  guides,  wliich  strain  out  the  gnat,  and  swallow  the  camel. 
A.     Blind  guides  (see  ver.  16). — B.     Which  strain  out. 

The  ordinary  process  of  reaching  or  drawing  off  wine 
from  the  lees  is  not  here  meant,  but  rather  a  religious 
practice.  "  It  was  the  custom  of  the  more  accurate  and 
stricter  Jews  to  strain  their  wine,  vinegar  and  other  pot- 
ables through  linen  or  gauze,  lest,  unawares,  they  should 
drink  down  some  little  unclean  insect  therein,  and  thus 
transgress  (Lev.  1 1  :  20,  23,  41,  42), — just  as  the  Buddhists 
do  now  in  Ceylon  and  Hindostan — and  to  this  custom  of 
theirs  the  Lord  refers." — Trencii. — Gnat,  here^any  small 
insect. — The  camel  (for  which  see  above,  3  :  4,  A.;  19  :  24, 
B.)  was  an  unclean  animal,  as  it  "  divideth  not  the  hoof" 
(Lev.  II  :  4),  and  hence  its   flesh    was   not  allowed  to  be 


XXIII.  25,  26.]  CHAPTER  XXIII.  203 

eaten.  The  proverb  which  the  Lord  here  quotes, 
resembhng  that  of  the  mote  and  the  beam  in  7  :  3,  rep- 
resents one  who  is  painfully  scrupulous  or  conscientious 
in  insignificant  matters,  and  whose  narrowness  of  mind, 
ignorance  or  hypocrisy  nevertheless  allows  him  to  be 
guilty  of  the  grossest,  vilest  and  most  culpable  acts.  The 
conscience  of  the  Pharisees  would  not  allow  them  to 
swallow  an  unclean  insect,  but  it  allowed  them  to 
"  devour  widows'  houses "  (Luke  20  :  47  ;  see  another 
illustration  below,  27  :  6). 

2S^  25  Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites !  for  ye  cleanse  the 
outside  of  the  cup  and  of  the  platter,  but  within  they  are  full  from  extortion 
and  excess.  Thou  Mind  Pharisee,  cleanse  first  the  inside  of  the  cup  and  of 
the  platter,  that  the  outside  thereof  may  become  clean  also. 

A.  Ye  cleanse.  The  Lord  had  uttered  the  same  re- 
buke on  an  earlier  occasion  (Luke  1 1  :  39).  The  laws  of 
Moses  taught  that  the  touch  of  a  defiled  object  com- 
municated a  legal  uncleanness  to  the  person  (see  above, 
15:2,  B.).  It  was  at  all  times  possible,  when  a  Jew  went 
abroad,  that  he  might  touch  an  unclean  person  and  be- 
come unclean  himself  by  the  contact,  and  that  dishes  and 
articles  of  furniture  might  have  been  similarly  defiled. 
Hence  the  Pharisees  found  here  new  opportunities  for 
displaying  the  spirit  which  they  termed  the  spirit  of 
religion,  or  piety.  They  accordingly  added  many  rules 
to  the  laws  of  Moses,  to  which  Mark  refers  (7  :  3,  4)  ; 
they  cared  only  for  the  letter  of  the  law  and  of  their 
traditions,  but  were  totally  destitute  of  faith  and  love. 
To  them  Paul's  words  were  applicable:  "  Even  their  mind 
and  conscience  is  defiled  "  (Tit.  i  :  i  5). — B.  Platter=a 
plate  or  dish. — C.  They=the  cup  and  platter. — D.  Are 
full  of  extortion  (=rapacity)  and  excess  (=dissoluteness, 
intemperance,  incontinence).  The  sense  is :  While  you 
pretend    to    observe   your   self-imposed   religious   duties. 


204  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxiii.  27. 

and  scrupulously  cleanse  your  dishes,  you  allow  your- 
selves to  acquire  the  food  placed  in  them  by  the  most 
ungodly  means. — E.  Cleanse  first,  etc.=observe  honesty 
and  justice  towards  others;  revere  the  divine  law  in  your 
efforts  to  provide  for  your  wants  ;  such  pretended  piety, 
which  cleanses  the  exterior  of  the  dish,  but  fills  it  ("  that 
which  is  written  ")  with  the  proceeds  of  fraud,  can  never 
avail  before  God.  If  your  heart  be  right  in  His  eyes,  the 
ordinary  rules  of  cleanliness  and  the  divine  laws  respect- 
ing moral  purity  will  need  no  religious  additions  derived 
from  human  wisdom.  At  the  same  time,  the  Lord 
doubtless  means  that  the  inconsistent  procedure  of  the 
Pharisees,  as  here  described,  was  an  image  of  their  moral 
conduct  ;  they  exhibited  a  studied  conformity  in  their 
outward  deportment  to  the  requisitions  of  the  law,  but, 
by  retaining  in  their  hearts  all  manner  of  impurity,  they 
deprived  their  outward  acts  of  all  value  in  the  eyes  of 
God. 

^'  Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites  !  for  ye  are  like  unto 
whited  sepulchres,  which  outwardly  appear  beautiful,  but  inwardly  are  full 
of  dead  men's  bones,  and  of  all  uncleanness. 

A.  Whited  sepulchres.  According  to  the  law  (Numb. 
5  :  2  ;  6  :  6 ;  19  :  16),  he  who  touched  a  corpse  or  bone  or 
grave  was  unclean  seven  days.  The  Jews,  influenced  by 
this  consideration  and  by  their  interpretation  of  Ezek. 
39  :  15,  carefully  designated  the  spot  in  which  any  one 
had  been  interred,  in  order  to  secure  passengers  from 
involuntary  defilement  (Luke  ii  :  44).  In  the  course  of 
time  they  ostentatiously  adorned  their  family  sepulchres, 
and  annually,  early  in  the  spring,  whitewashed  and  deco- 
rated them  anew  ("  beautiful  "). — B.  Within==the  monu- 
ment, however  tasteful  and  rich,  was  merely  the  veil 
which  concealed,  not  a  corresponding  object,  but  only  a 
foul  and  putrid  mass. 


XXIII.  28-30.]  CHAPTER  XXriL  205 

^*  Even  so  ye  also  outwardly  appear  righteous  unto  men,  but  inwardly  ye 
are  full  of  hypocrisy  and  iniquity. 

The  sense  is  :  Ye  Pharisees  appear  outwardly  as 
righteous  (^devout  and  godly)  men  ;  but  your  outward 
piety  is  merely  the  veil  that  hides  the  unmixed  evil 
("  full  of ")  of  your  hearts,  that  is,  hypocrisy  and  ungodli- 
ness, by  which  ye  yourselves  become  foul  and  loathsome 
in  the  eyes  of  God. — Iniquity,  according  to  the  original 
'word=lazvlessness,  and  translated  "  lawlessness  "  in  i 
John  3  :  4,  where  it  occurs  as  a  description  of  sin.  The 
thought  may  also  here  be  conveyed  :  Ye  Pharisees  carry 
with  you,  whithersoever  ye  go,  all  the  pollution  of  the 
grave. 

^'  Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites  !  for  ye  build  the 
sepulchres  of  the  prophets,  and  garnish  the  tombs  of  the  righteous. 

Ye  build,  etc.=erect  costly  monuments  to  their  mem- 
ory.— Prophets — Righteous  (see  10  :  41,    B.). — Qarnish= 

adorn,  decorate  with  columns,  garlands,  etc.,  as  in  12  :  44. 
The  same  structure  may  often  be  termed  indifferently  a 
tomb  or  sepulchre.  There  is  in  this  verse  an  illustration 
of  the  parallelism  of  Hebrew  poetry,  as  in  15:8,  C, 
thus  :  build — garnish  ;  tombs — sepulchres  ;  prophets — 
righteous. 

3°  And  say,  If  we  had  been  in  the  days  of  our  fathers,  we  should  not  have 
been  partakers  with  them  in  the  blood  of  the  prophets. 

A.  And  say==ye  seem  by  the  act  to  allege  as  your 
motive. — B.  If  we,  etc,=your  ostentatious  reverence  for 
the  murdered  prophets  is  intended  to  imply :  We  are  far 
more  devout  and  holy  than  our  fathers  were.  They  were 
guilty  of  murder,  and,  finally,  of  rebeUion  against  God  ; 
we,  on  the  contrary,  reverently  and  piously  listen  to  the 
messages  which  God  sends,  and  devoutly  honor  the 
memory  of  the  victims  of  the  ungodly  spirit  of  our 
fathers. 


2o6  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.      [xxiii.  31,  32. 

"  Wherefore  ye  witness  to  yourselves,  that  ye  are  sons  of  them  that  slew 
the  prophets. 

Wherefore^j-,?  tJiat,  as  the  original  word  is  frequently 
translated,  as  in  8  :  28  ;  13:2.  The  sense  is:  You  admit 
that  you  are  the  descendants  of  these  murderers  of  the 
prophets;  your  efforts  to  destroy  Me  also  furnish  to  your 
own  consciences  the  evidence  that,  although  you  pretend 
to  censure  the  sanguinary  spirit  of  your  ancestors,  you 
have,  nevertheless,  inherited  their  ungodly  temper,  so  that 
ye  are  undeniably  their  sous  indeed,  both  by  descent,  and 
also  by  similarity  of  character.  The  Lord  further  implies 
the  following:  The  proof  that  you  have  acquired  a  better 
spirit  than  that  of  your  ancestors  would,  on  the  other 
hand,  be  furnished,  not  by  showy  monuments  which  you 
build,  but  by  a  devout  attention  to  the  divine  messages 
sent  to  you. 

^^  Fill  ye  up  then  the  measure  of  your  fathers. 

Predictions  of  evils  that  God  permits,  but  does  not 
desire,  are  often  expressed  in  the  language  of  command  ; 
this  circumstance  simply  indicates  that  such  results  of 
human  depravity  will  not  be  prevented  (see  i  Kings 
22  :  22  ;  Isai.  6  :  9,  10  ;  8  :  9  ;  13  :  6  ;  29  :  9  ;  Jer.  i  :  10  ; 
John  13  :  27  ;  and  comp.,  13  :  14,  B.,  above).  Thus  the 
language,  as  in  the  word  "run"  in  2  Sam.  18  :  23,  or 
"send"  in  2  Kings  2  :  17,  is  used  in  a  permissive  sense 
only.  Sometimes,  as  below  (ver  38,  and  in  John  5  :  40), 
such  an  event  is  merely  stated  as  a  fact  that  is  about  to 
occur,  or  that  has  occurred.  The  present  words,  which 
are  closely  connected  with  the  preceding  verse  and  are  to 
be  interpreted  in  the  sense  of  the  parable  in  ch.  21  :  33- 
40,  imply  :  Your  fathers  killed  the  prophets,  who  were 
mere  men;  jc  intend  (12  :  14)  to  kill  the  Prince  of  life 
(Acts  3  :  15  ;  7  :  52;  I  Thess.  2:15);  if  the  wickedness 
of  your  fathers  did  not  proceed  to  the  utmost  possible 


xxiii.  23,  34.]  CHAPTER  XXIII.  207 

degree  (figuratively=did  not  make  the  vessel  or  measure 

full),  you  desire  to  reach  that  ultimate  point  of  iniquity 

("  fill,  etc."),   beyond   which  divine  justice  cannot  allow 

you  to  proceed.      Hence  you  exceed  in  guilt  your  fathers 

whose  murderous  acts  you  profess  to  condemn. 

^^  Ye  serpents,  ye  offspring  of  vipers,  how  shall  ye  escape  the  judgment  of 
hell  ? 

Ye  serpents,  etc.  (see  3  :  7,  B.)=your  ancestors  breathed 
the  spirit  of  the  serpent  which  "  beguiled  Eve  "  (2  Cor. 
11:3)  by  means  of  impious  and  blasphemous  language 
(Gen.  3  :  4,  5),  and  ye  are  their  genuine  offspring.  Such 
wickedness  as  you  exhibit  will  necessarily  lead  you  to 
perdition  (see  ver.  15,  D.,  and  5  ;  22,  G.).  The  Lord,  in 
His  unerring  wisdom,  truth  and  justice,  assigns  to  these 
men  their  appropriate  titles,  and  reveals  their  ultimate, 
awful  doom. — How  shall.  The  sense  of  the  Lord's  ques- 
tion is,  not  that  God  had  made  their  escape  impossible ; 
He  rather  asks  this  question:  How  shall  or  will  you 
escape,  if  you  persist  in  such  unbelief  and  impiety  ?  With 
all  your  pretended  sanctity,  you  will  perish  because  of  the 
unchanged  wickedness  of  your  hearts. 

^*  Therefore,  behold,  I  send  unto  you  prophets,  and  wise  men,  and  scribes : 
some  of  them  shall  ye  kill  and  crucify;  and  some  of  them  shall  ye  scourge 
in  your  synagogues,  and  persecute  from  city  to  city  : 

A.  Therefore=ye  have  inherited  the  murderous  spirit 
of  your  ancestors  and  will  imitate  their  acts  ;  therefore — 

Christ  continues — the  words  of  the  Scriptures  which  refer 
to  the  part  (as  in  2  Chron.  24:  19;  36:  15,  16;  Jerem. 
7  :  25,  26;  25  :  4)  are  also  a  prophetic  description  of  your 
present  and  future  history. — B.  I  send.  In  Luke  1 1  :  49, 
where  the  Lord  also  alludes  to  the  substance  of  these 
passages  in  the  prophets,  He  represents  the  writers  as 
inspired  men,  "  the  wisdom  of  God  said."  As  He  was 
Himself  God  from  all  eternity  (John  1:1;  8:58;   17:5), 


2o8  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxiii.  35. 

and  as  His  Spirit  was  in  the  prophets  (i  Peter  i  :  11),  He 
refers  to  the  words  spoken  by  His  prophets  as  being  His 
own  words  (see  ver.  37,  C),  and  quotes  the  substance  ; 
He  accordingly  says  :  /  scnd^=\  do  and  will  send  ; — proph= 
ets,  the  apostles  included  (Luke  11  :  49 ;  Eph.  4:11;  see 
13  :  52,  B.) ; — kill  (Acts  12  :  1-3); — scourge  (10:  17,  C); 
crucify ;  possibly  this  expression  refers  to  the  crucifixion 
of  the  aged  Simeon  of  Jerusalem  in  the  year  107,  during 
the  reign  of  Trajan  (Euseb.  Eccl.  Hist.  iii.  32).  Still,  as 
the  Lord  here  appears,  according  to  the  succeeding  verses, 
to  refer  to  events  occurring  during  the  interval  between 
His  death  and  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  and  as  He 
alludes,  not  to  His  own  crucifixion,  but  to  that  of  certain 
others  whom  He  sends,  it  may  be  inferred  that  the  Jews 
did  crucify  some  apostles  or  teachers,  the  circumstances 
of  whose  death  history  has  not  recorded.  ["  The  meagre- 
ness  of  the  history  of  the  Apostolic  Age  must  be  taken 
into  the  account." — Meyer.  "  That  in  their  synagogues 
(note  this  particular)  they  should  answer  the  undeniably 
God-given  wisdom  with  scourging ;  that  they  should  per- 
secute from  city  to  city  even  scribes,  in  order  to  thor- 
oughly suppress  their  quiet  testimony — in  this  the  guilt 
of  their  resistance  to  the  truth  rises  to  a  higher  pitch. 
They  leave  unpersecuted  not  even  the  least  one  who 
merely  dares,  by  way  of  testimony,  to  interpret  the 
Scripture  against  them." — Stier.] 

^'  That  upon  you  may  come  all  the  righteous  blood  shed  on  the  earth, 
from  the  blood  of  Abel  the  righteous  unto  the  blood  of  Zachariah  son  of 
Barachiah,  whom  ye  slew  between  the  sanctuary  and  the  altar. 

A.  The  divine  judgment  which  the  sins  of  the  people 
deserved,  and  which  was  manifested  in  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem — a  type  or  image  of  the  future  judgment  of  sin- 
ners— is  now  revealed.  That  .  •  .  may  come.  The  words 
that  may,  as   in    5  :  45  ;   Mark    5  :  23,  and   elsewhere,  in- 


XX 1 1 1 .  3  5-  ]  CHA  P  TER  XXIII.  2  09 

dicatc  a  certain  consequence  or  \-esw\t  =  insomuch  that,  or, 
so  that.  The  sense  is,  not  that  the  Jews  deliberately 
intended  and  desired  to  bring  the  "  righteous  blood,  etc." 
(=punishment  and  ruin),  upon  themselves,  but  that  their 
conduct  would  have  such  consequences  (comp.  Acts  13  : 
46),  where  the  conduct  that  is  rebuked  resembled  that  of 
persons  pronouncing  a  sentence  against  themselves.— B. 
Upon  you  may  come.  Similar  phrases  in  Deut.  21:8; 
28  :  2,  15  ;  Jonah  i  :  14  ;  Matt.  27  :  25  ;  Acts  5  :  28  ; 
Eph.  5  :  6,  compared  with  the  language  "  be  required  of " 
in  Luke  ii  :  51,  indicate  the  sense  to  be:  The  punish- 
ment due  to  such  sins  will  ultimately  fall  upon  you  ; — upon 
you="  this  generation  "  (ver.  36,  and  comp.  24  :  34),  per- 
sons then  living  (see  ii  :  16,  17,  A.).  The  siege  of  the 
city  of  Jerusalem  was  commenced  by  Titus  38  years 
after  these  words  were  spoken  ;  the  city  was  taken 
about  5  months  afterwards  (24  :  22,  A.). — C.  The  right- 
eous bIood=the  punishment  (i  Kings  2  :  32)  of  the  mur- 
der of  righteous  men,  believers  (Rev.  6  :  10)  ;  from  the 
blood=from  the  time  of  the  act  of  shedding  the  blood, 
taking  away  life  (Deut.  12  :  23;  Joel  3  :  19  ;  comp.  2 
Kings  21  :  16  ;  Jer.  26  :  15  ;  see  also  27  :  4,  A.). — D. 
Abel  .  .  .  Barachiah.  Abel  (Gen.  4:8;!  John  3  :  12  ; 
Hebr.  12  :  24)  was  the  first  human  being  whose  blood 
was  shed  after  the  "  foundation  of  the  world  "  (Luke  1 1  : 
50),  in  the  contest  which  began  between  good  and  evil ; 
thus  he  became  the  representative  of  all  martyrs  viewed 
as  an  aggregate.  Stephen  (Acts  7  :  59,  60  ;  22  :  20)  was 
the  first  Christian  martyr  who  died  for  the  truth,  as  a 
faithful  zuitness  {\v\\\ch.  is  the  meaning  of  the  word  martyr). 
The  death  of  Zachariah  is  described  in  2  Chron.  24  : 
20-22.  His  father  is  there  named  Jehoiada,  and  also 
in  2  Kings,  ch,  11,  12;  2  Chron.,  ch.  23,  24.  The  names 
of  eminent  persons  were  often  changed  among  the 
14 


2IO  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxiii.  35. 

Hebrews,  of  which  practice  numerous  cases  are  men- 
tioned in  the  O.  T.,  e.  g.  Gen.  17:5,  15;  32:28; 
35  :  18  ;  2  Sam.  12  :  24,  25  ;  2  Kings  23  :  34;  24  :  17, 
Thus  the  son  of  Joash  is  called  in  the  same  chapter 
(Judges  8  :  29,  32  ;  comp.  with  6  :  32,  and  7  :  i)  both 
Jerubbaal  and  Gideon.  The  cases  in  the  N.  T.  of 
several  apostles,  such  as  Simon,  who  is  also  called  Peter, 
of  Saul,  "  who  also  is  called  Paul  "  (Acts  13  19),  and  others 
(Acts  I  :  23;  4  :  36;  12  :  12,  25  ;  Col.  4:11)  are  familiar 
(see  also  26  :  36).  It  is  possible  that  the  distinguished 
services  of  the  high-priest  Jehoiada,  described  in  the 
chapter  mentioned  above,  and  consistently  and  energeti- 
cally continued  to  the  advanced  age  of  130  years  (2 
Chron.  24  :  15),  may  have  secured  to  him  at  a  compara- 
tively late  period  in  the  grateful  recollections  of  the  peo- 
ple the  honorable  name  of  Barachiah,  which  is  accord- 
ingly given  to  him  in  the  passage  before  us  ;  it  signifies: 
Blessed  of  Je/iovah,  or.  Whom  JeJiovah  has  blessed ;  it  is 
more  emphatic  than  the  analogous  m.v[\e  Jehoiada,  which 
signifies:  Whom  Jehovah  knoivs.  So  Nathan  gave  the 
name  of  Jedediah  (signifying:  Beloved  of  Jehovah,  2  Sam. 
12  :  24,  25)  to  Solomon,  which  name  signifies  simply 
Peaceable  (i  Chron.  22  :  9).  Various  traditional  names, 
facts,  etc.,  not  recorded  in  the  O.  T.,  are  incidentally 
mentioned  in  the  N.  T.,  as  familiarly  known  to  the 
people,  for  instance,  the  names  in  2  Tim.  3  :  8,  and  the 
facts  stated  in  Acts  7  :  22,  which,  like  the  name  of  Bar- 
achiah here  given  to  Jehoiada,  belong  to  the  countless 
details  not  furnished  by  the  O.  T.,  but  preserved  in 
other  records  of  the  Jews  to  a  late  period.  More  than 
200  years  after  the  murder  of  Zachariah  occurred  that 
of  the  prophet  Urijah  (Jerem.  26  :  23).  According  to 
the  arrangement  of  the  several  books  of  the  O.  T. 
adopted  by  the  Jews  in  the  time  of  the  Saviour,  and  still 


XX 1 1 1.  36,  37.]  CHAPTER  XXIIT.  2 1 1 

retained  in  our  printed  Hebrew  Bibles,  the  Chronicles 
occupied  the  last  place  ;  the  Lord  therefore  selects  the 
case  of  Abel  from  the  first  book,  Genesis,  and  that'  of 
Zachariah  from  the  last,  2  Chronicles,  in  order  to  in- 
dicate all  similar  cases  in  the  whole  extent  of  the  Script- 
ures; in  both  cases  also  (Gen.  4  :  10  and  2  Chron.  24  : 
22)  a  solemn  appeal  is  addressed  to  the  justice  of  Him  to 
whom  "vengeance  belongeth  "  (Hebr.  10:30).  The 
name  of  the  father  of  the  prophet  Zachariah  (ch.  i  :  i), 
who  is  not  here  meant  (he  lived  three  centuries  later  than 
the  other  Zachariah),  was  also  Barachiah,  and  a  nearly 
similar  case  of  an  earlier  date  is  incidentally  mentioned 
in  Isai.  8  :  2.  The  name  Zachariah  (meaning  :  Whom  Jeho- 
vah remembers)  was  a  favorite  one  among  the  Jews,  and 
is  applied  to  a  number  of  persons  in  the  Old  Testament. 
— E.  Slew  between,  etc.=in  the  court  of  the  priest 
(2  Chron.  24  :  21)  where  the  altar  of  burnt  offerings 
stood,  opposite  to  the  entrance  of  the  sacred  edifice  (see 
above,  ver.  18,  B.). — Ye  slew=ye,  the  Jewish  people. — 
Temple,  the  7iaos,  as  above  ver.  16,  C. 

2*  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  All  these  things  shall  come  upon  this  generation. 

A.  Verily  (see  5  :  18,  A.). — B.  All  these  things= 
the  punishment  of  the  long  series  of  rebellious  and  sin- 
ful deeds  to  which  ver.  35  alludes;  the  final  destruction 
of  the  Jewish  state  is  meant,  with  no  hope  of  a  future 
restoration  such  as  that  which  succeeded  the  Babylonish 
Captivity. — C,     Came   upon,  etc.=(see  ver.  35,  B.). 

'^  O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  which  killeth  the  prophets,  and  stoneth  them 
that  are  sent  unto  her  !  how  often  would  I  have  gathered  thy  children  to- 
gether, even  as  a  hen  gathereth  her  chickens  under  her  wings,  and  ye  would 
not. 

A.     O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem.     The  Lord's   revelations 

respecting  the  destruction  of  the  city  and  the  unparalleled 

horrors  which  accompanied   it  (24  :  21),  although  all  was 


212  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxiii.  37. 

inflicted  as  the  deserved  penalty  of  obstinate  unbelief  and 
rebellion  against  God,  powerfully  moved  the  compassion- 
ate Redeemer.  "  He  beheld  the  city,  and  wept  over  it, 
saying,  etc."  (Luke  19  :  41,  ff.).  Hence  He  mournfully 
and  even  reproachfully  mentions  the  name  of  the  city 
twice,  appealing  to  it  in  the  language  of  deep  emotion 
(see  II  :  23,  A.).  For  other  instances  in  which  cities,  etc., 
are  thus  addressed,  see  2  :  6,  A. — B.  Which  .  .  .  her= 
the  murderers'  city  (22  :  7,  and  see  Nehem.  9  :  26  ; 
Lament.  4  :  13;  Hebr.  11  :  36,  ff.).  "It  cannot  be 
that  a  prophet  perish  out  of  Jerusalem"  (Luke  13: 
33)^if  any  act  of  rebellion  against  God  has  ever 
been  committed,  it  was  only  an  imitation  of  the 
acts  of  that  city,  and  will  be  found  in  the  catalogue 
of  its  sins  ; — stoneth  (21:35;  Acts  7  :  58). — C.  How  often 
.  .  .  wings.  The  original  furnishes  the  general  name  of 
bird,  equivalent  here  \.ofoiol,  or  understood  specially  of  the 
hen.  The  bird's  protecting  wings  afford  many  beautiful 
images  in  Scripture  of  the  tender  care  of  God  (Deut.  32 : 
II,  12  ;  Ruth  2:12;  Ps.  17  :  8  ;  61  :  4  ;  Isai.  31  :  5). 
Even  so  the  Lord  Jesus  often  would  have  gathered,  on 
the  highway,  in  the  temple,  in  dwellings,  the  children  (= 
inhabitants)  of  Jerusalem,  etc.;  a  chief  city  frequently 
received  the  name  of  mother  among  oriental  nations  (2 
Sam.  20  :  19).  The  Lord  had  sent  His  prophets  to  them 
repeatedly  (i  Peter,  i  :  10,  ii,  and  ver.  34,  B.  above),  and 
then  spoken  to  them  Himself  (21  :  37  ;  Hebr.  i  :  i).  The 
whole  object  of  all  such  appeals  was  the  preservation  of 
the  people  both  from  the  temporal  calamities  which  their 
obstinate  unbelief  was  now  bringing  upon  them,  and  from 
eternal  ruin. — D.  And  ye  would  not  I  "  Ye  will  not 
come  to  me,  that  ye  might  have  life "  (John  5  :  40). 
"  Men  loved  darkness,  etc."  (John  3:19;  see  Isai.  28  : 
12  ;    30  :  15  ;  65  :  12).     The   loss   of  the   sinner's  soul  is 


XXIII.  38,  39]  CHAPTER  XXIII.  213 

occasioned  by  his  own  unconstrained,  voluntary  and  delib- 
erate rejection  of  the  means  of  salvation  which  the  Lord 
has  freely  offered  to  him,  but  which  He  compels  none  of 
those  to  accept  who  choose  death  rather  than  life  (Deut, 
30  :  15-20;  Josh,  24  :  15  ;  Ezek.  18  :  31  ;  Rev.  22  :  17). 
'*  Behold,  your  house  is  left  unto  you  desolate. 

Your  house.  This  term  probably  refers  not  specially 
to  the  temple  (see  below,  24  :  15),  but  involves  an  allusion 
to  Ps.  69  :  25  (quoted  in  Acts  i  :  20),  and  indicates  here 
the  desolation  and  ruin  to  which  divine  justice  would  soon 
abandon  the  homes  (viewed  in  the  aggregate  as  the  abode) 
of  the  unbelieving  people. — Behold  (see  i  :  20,  B.) 

^'  For  I  say  unto  you,  Ye  shall  not  see  me  henceforth,  till  ye  shall  say, 
Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord. 

A.  The  words  quoted  by  the  Lord  :  "  Blessed,  etc.," 
had  already  occurred  above,  21:9,  C,  which  see. — For= 
the  coming  calamity  is  now  inevitable. — Ye  .  .  .  hence- 
forth. Here  the  Lord  closes  all  the  public  appeals  and 
warnings  which  He  purposed  to  address  personally  to  the 
Pharisees ;  the  succeeding  discourses  are  confined  to  the 
circle  of  His  disciples  (24  :  3,  ff.;  26  :  i,  ff.).  The  Lord 
never  appeared  personally  to  these  unbelievers  after  His 
resurrection  (Acts  10  :  40,  41).  The  sense  is  :  I  have 
first  sought  you,  and  ye  now  find  Me  ready  to  pardon  and 
to  save ;  henceforth  I  leave  you.  Never  again  shall  ye 
receive  from  Me  the  offer  of  mercy,  until  ye  yourselves 
seek  Me  in  your  town,  and,  seeing  Me  with  the  eye  of 
faith,  in  deep  contrition  and  penitence,  confess  My  truth 
and  power. — B.  Till.  There  is  no  reason  to  assume  that 
this  word  refers  to  any  precise  point  of  time,  such  as  the 
resurrection,  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem,  etc.  It  rather  refers  to  any 
future  period  after   His  death,  in  which   His  pity  leads 


214  ^^^  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxiii.  39. 

Him  to  expect  a  change  in  His  hearers  (comp.  Jerem.  3  : 
12-14).  It  is  accordingly  related  in  Acts,  that  various 
Jews  who  had  previously  rejected  Christ  afterwards  re- 
pented and  believed — the  people,  in  2  :  23,  37,  43  ;  4:4; 
5  :  14  ;  priests,  in  ^:'],  and  Pharisees,  in  15:5.  When 
such  persons  were  awakened  and  received  Christ  as  the 
true  Messiah,  they  gladly  blessed  His  name  and  confessed 
that  He  came  from  God.  To  these  original  enemies  of 
Christ  who  "  hereafter  believed  "  Paul  was  a  "  pattern  " 
^a  glorious  illustration  of  the  "long-suffering"  of  Jesus 
Christ  (i  Tim.  i  :  16). 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

PRELIMINARY   OBSERVATIONS. 

Obs.  a. — The  interpretation  of  this  chapter  is  attended 
with  pecuhar  difficulties.  The  Lord  evidently  refers  in 
it  to  two  distinct  events,  one  of  which,  the  destruction 
of  Jerusalem,  occurred  eighteen  centuries  ago  ;  the  other, 
the  end  of  the  world,  is  still  a  future,  and,  possibly,  a 
very  distant  event.  To  the  former,  for  instance.  He  un-^ 
deniably  alludes  in  ver.  6-9,  to  the  latter  in  ver.  14,  for 
it^occurs  after  the  Gospel  shall  have  been  "  preached  in 
all  the  world  ;  "  to  the  former,  again,  in  ver.  15,  ff.,  to  the 
latter,  evidently,  in  ver,  30,  31  ;  to  the  former,  very 
plainly,  in  ver.  34,  to  the  latter,  almost  as  plainly,  in  ver. 
36,  37.  These  transitions  in  His  discourse,  from  the  one 
to  the  other  of  two  events  which  are  so  widely  separated 
in  time  and  character,  are  so  frequent,  that,  without  the 
adoption  of  some  key,  which  may  open  up  the  cause  of 
such  changes  from  one  to  the  other,  it  is  often  very 
difficult  to  account  for  them,  and,  in  several  verses  of 
the  chapter,  to  determine  to  which  of  the  two  His  words 
specially  refer.  It  is  not  to  be  supposed  for  one  moment 
that  the  Lord  spoke  in  a  confused  or  incoherent  manner, 
or  passed  from  one  event  to  the  other  without  a  sufficient 
reason.  A  great  diversity  of  interpretations  has  been 
occasioned  by  the  apparently  desultory  manner  of  speaking 
which    some    have    here    ascribed  to  the    Lord ;    of    the 

215 


2i6  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxiv. 

various  modes  of  explaining  the  whole  which  have  been 
attempted  no  one  has  yet  been  generally  adopted. — The 
key  which  we  here  propose  is  described  below,  Prel. 
Obs.  F. 

Obs.  B. — As  our  Lord  often  employs  illustrative  simil- 
itudes in  His  discourses  (like  those  in  6  :  29 ;  11  :  16; 
23  :  27),  besides  fully  developed  parables  (as  in  ch.  13), 
in  order  to  give  distinctness  and  vividness  to  His  lessons, 
so,  too,  as  many  interpreters  believe,  He  adopts  the  same 
method  in  this  chapter.  The  fearful  events  which  pre- 
ceded and  attended  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  are, 
as  they  maintain,  regarded  by  Him  as  appropriate  images 
of  the  solemn  scenes  which  will  occur  at  the  end  of  the 
world.  If,  therefore,  the  same  prophetic  words  in  any 
verse  do  not  directly  refer  to  both  events,  they  may 
still,  even  when  they  describe  the  fall  of  Jerusalem, 
only  be  intended  to  furnish  an  image  of  another  and 
more  awful  event — the  end  of  the  world.  This  mode  of 
interpretation,  however,  without  accounting  for  the  ap- 
parent confusion  of  thought  in  the  discourse,  obscures 
the  meaning  of  various  verses,  and  has  always  failed  to 
remove  the  reader's  perplexity. 

Obs.  C. — The  laws  of  perspective  have  been  here  pre- 
sented by  other  interpreters  as  an  illustration  of  the  lan- 
guage of  prophecy,  and  then  applied  to  this  discourse.  To 
a  spectator  standing  on  a  lofty  eminence,  two  remote  ob- 
jects may  appear  to  be  in  close  proximity ;  when  he  sub- 
sequently proceeds  to  the  locality,  he  finds  that  they  are 
really  far  asunder.  In  the  sketch  of  the  artist,  buildings, 
bridges,  etc.,  that  are  near  him,  are  distinctly  defined  ; 
those  that  are  very  remote  seem  crowded  together,  and 
the  intermediate    distance    is    scarcely    perceptible.      So 


XXIV.]  CHAPTER  XXIV.  217 

prophecy  often  refers  to  events  belonging  to  the  future 
which  are  really  separated  by  wide  intervals  of  time,  by 
years,  and  even  by  centuries  ;  yet  they  are  described 
rapidly,  without  any  intimation  of  the  fact  that  they  will 
actually  occur  at  periods  of  time  very  far  remote  from 
each  other.  Compare  2  Sam.  7  :  12-16,  where  the  history 
of  Solomon  and  the  establishment  of  the  Messiah's 
throne  are  both  revealed,  without  any  specification  of  the 
times.  Thus,  too,  no  intimation  is  given  in  Isai.  9  :  6^ 
7,  that  the  full  development  of  the  Messiah's  kingdom 
will  occur  long  after  His  birth  (comp.  also  Isai.  11  :  1-6; 
ch.  53  ;  60:  1-3;  Jer.  23  :  5  ;  31  :  31-34;  Ezek.  34:  23-28; 
36  :  24-38  ;  Dan.  2  :  36-45).  This  mode  of  interpretation 
does  not  remove  the  apparent  obscurity  of  the  present 
chapter,  and  is  not  successful  in  explaining  it  ;  the  fatal 
objection  to  its  application  in  the  case  before  us  is  fur- 
nished by  the  fact  that  the  Lord,  unlike  the  ancient 
prophets,  does  here  intentionally  discriminate  between 
the  times  of  the  two  events. 

Obs.  D. — While  God  has  been  pleased  to  reveal  future 
events,  He  has  always  absolutely  withheld  all  precise  state- 
ments respecting  the  times  of  their  occurrence  ;  of  this 
circumstance  even  two  of  the  last  of  the  prophets  fur- 
nish illustrations  (Hag.  2  :  6-9;  Mai.  3  :  i).  The  O. 
T.  abounds  in  predictions  respecting  the  Messiah,  and 
describes  His  whole  history  from  His  birth  in  Bethlehem 
to  the  completion  of  His  atoning  work  and  the  per- 
manent establishment  of  His  Church.  But  even  the 
most  definite  expression  of  the  times  which  it 
affords,  namely  (Dan.  9  :  24-27),  "  seventy  weeks,"  is 
obviously  and  purposely  given  in  obscure  terms.  It 
seems  that  it  would  have  been  unwise  in  itself  and  of  an 
evil  influence,  if   the  times  of  predicted  events  had  been 


2i8  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxiv. 

revealed  to  man  ;  his  watchfulness,  his  spirit  of  prayer, 
his  faith  in  God — all  his  Christian  graces  owe  their 
brightness  to  his  continual  preparations  for  his  death 
(see  24  :  42,  C).  When  Daniel  asked  a  question  like 
that  of  the  disciples  in  ver.  3,  the  significant  answer  was : 
"  Go  thy  way,  Daniel,  for  the  words  are  closed  up  and 
sealed  t\\\  the  time  of  the  end  "  (Dan.  12  :  8,  9).  Hence 
the  risen  Saviour  absolutely  and  in  the  most  positive 
terms  refused  such  revelations  even  at  the  last  moment 
when  He  was  parting  from  His  disciples  (Acts  i  :  7). 
They  lived  and  they  died  without  that  knowledge 
(i  Thess.  5  :  i,  2  ;  2  Peter  3  :  10),  and  only  knew  that  the 
end  of  all  things  might  be  long  deferred  (2  Thess.  2  :  2). 
So  strictly  has  the  Almighty  withheld  such  knowledge 
from  all  His  creatures  that  "  of  that  day  and  hour 
knoweth  no  man,  no,  not  the  angels  of  heaven  "  (Matt. 
24  :  36)  ;  indeed,  so  unsuited  to  human  nature  is  a 
knowledge  of  this  deep  mystery,  that  Christ  remarks  that 
even  He,  in  His  State  of  Humiliation,  refrained  for  the 
time  from  the  use  of  His  knowledge  of  "  that  day  and 
that  hour  "  (Mark  1 3  :  32).  Under  such  circumstances,  we 
may  naturally  expect  that  all  the  revelations  given  in  the 
present  chapter  will  be  so  presented  to  our  feeble  eyes 
as  if  a  veil  partially  shrouded  the  heavenly  light  ;  if  all 
were  fully  revealed  it  would  dazzle  and  overpower  our 
nature. 

Obs.  E. — While  thus  the  mere  curiosity  of  man  is 
by  no  means  gratified,  the  Lord  amply  provides  in  the 
present  chapter  for  our  spiritual  and  real  wants  in  the 
following  manner : — It  cannot  be  essential  to  our  true 
welfare  to  know  \\\&  precise  time  of  the  end  of  the  world 
— an  event  which  will  occur  long  after  our  death.  But 
it  is  of  unspeakable  importance  to  us  to  be  properly  pre- 


XXIV.]  CHAPTER  XXIV.  219 

pared  for  the  judgment  which  will  be  held  at  that  time. 
Now,  our  future  and  eternal  condition  in  the  other 
world  will  be  decided  altogether  by  our  acceptance  of 
Christ  in  true  faith,  or  our  rejection  of  Him  in  this  present 
life  ;  no  means  of  grace,  nor  any  opportunity  to  repent 
and  reform,  will  be  furnished  after  death  (Obs.  F.  §  5). 
Hence,  the  day  of  our  own  death  as  individuals  will 
virtually  be  the  same  to  us  as  if  it  were  the  "  day  of 
the  coming  of  the  Lord  to  judgment."  Those  who  had 
died  previously  to  this  event,  including  ourselves,  and 
those  who  shall  then  be  living  on  earth,  when  it  does 
occur,  will  be  treated  by  the  Judge  precisely  in  the  same 
manner,  according  to  i  Thess.  4:15.  To  all  these,  with- 
out distinction,  the  words  in  2  Cor.  5  :  10  apply.  Hence, 
as,  on  the  one  hand,  no  apostle  could  indicate  the  time  of 
the  end  of  the  world,  and  as,  on  the  other,  the  death  of 
the  individual  placed  him,  as  far  as  his  own  sentence  was 
concerned,  precisely  in  the  situation  of  those  who  shall 
be  alive  when  the  end  of  all  things  does  come,  the  sacred 
writers  regard  both  of  the  times — the  day  of  the  individ- 
ual's death  and  the  day  of  the  Lord's  coming — as  equiv- 
alent, or  virtually  coinciding,  the  one  with  the  other  (see, 
for  instance,  Phil.  4  :  5  ;  i  Peter  4:  7;  James  5  : 8,  9;  2 
Peter  3  :  10-14  ;  i  John  2  :  28).— Thus  the  Lord  teaches  us 
by  His  personal  instructions,  and  by  those  which  He 
imparts  through  His  apostles,  to  live  daily  in  the  expec- 
tation of  His  coming,  that  is,  to  live  daily  with  eternity 
in  view. 

Obs.  F. — The  interpreter  of  the  following  chapter  will 
possibly  not  be  perplexed  by  any  apparent  confusion  in 
it,  arising  from  a  supposed  unaccountable  transition  from 
the  one  event  to  the  other,  if  the  following  circumstances 
be  considered  : — 


220  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxiv. 

§  I.  No  one  of  the  four  evangelists  attempts  to 
record  all  the  sayings  and  deeds  of  the  Lord  (John  2 1  : 
25).  The  one  omits  circumstances  which  another  maybe 
induced  by  the  general  object  for  which  he  writes,  and 
under  the  guidance  of  the  Divine  Spirit,  to  introduce 
fully.  Even  in  the  present  discourse,  while  Matthew 
furnishes  much  matter  which  Mark  and  Luke  omit  (for 
example,  24:  27-41  ;  ver.  45-51,  and  the  whole  of  ch.  25, 
except  the  reference  in  Mark  13:24),  he  omits  certain 
portions  which  they  record  (Mark  13:35-37;  Luke  21: 
24,  34,  36).  Hence  we  learn  that,  as  on  other  occasions 
(comp.  Matt.  19:2  with  Mark  10:1),  all  the  words  of 
the  Lord  have  not  been  preserved  ;  much  less  can  we 
expect  that  all  the  questions  or  remarks  of  the  disciples 
should  be  written  in  full. 

§  2.  Matthew  sometimes  omits  portio7is  of  conversations 
between  Christ  and  His  disciples  or  the  people  ;  thus 
He  occasionally  presents  answers  of  the  Saviour  only, 
without  introducing  the  questions  or  remarks  of  His 
hearers  which  occasioned  these  answers.  This  important 
fact,  which  constitutes  the  key  that  is  applied  in  the 
following  explanations,  is  verified  by  the  following  refer- 
ences : — The  command  given  in  Matt.  4  :  19  and  the 
immediate  obedience  of  the  two  fishers  are  made  perfectly 
plain  only  by  a  reference  to  Luke  5  :  3-10.  The  cause  of 
the  cry  described  in  8  :  29  is  explained  in  Mark  5  :  8  and 
Luke  8:  29.  The  reason  of  the  charge  given  in  12  :  16  is 
found  in  Mark  3:11,  12.  In  14:8  the  substance  only  of 
the  conversation  is  furnished  which  appears  in  Mark  6: 
24,  25.  In  14:  16,  17,  the  substance  again  is  given  of  a 
conversation  recorded  in  Mark  9:33-35.  The  words  in 
19 : 9  seem  to  be  a  continuation  of  an  address  to  the 
Pharisees,  but,  as  ver.  10  also  indicates,  they  really  con- 


XXIV.]  CHAPTER  XXIV.  221 

stitute  an  answer  to  a  question  privately  addressed  to 
the  Lord  by  the  disciples,  according  to  Mark  10  :  10.  The 
words  in  26:31  were  doubtless  called  forth  by  language 
like  that  occurring  in  John  13  :  37.  So,  too,  many  details 
are  omitted  in  9:20,  ff.;  17:14.  ff-.  which  are  found 
respectively  in  Mark  5  ;  25,  ff.;  Luke  8  :  43,  and  in  Mark 
9:14,  ff.;  Luke  9:38,  ff.  See  also  Matt.  26  :  31,  B.  Luke 
furnishes  illustrations  not  found  in  Matthew  of  occasional 
interruptions  of  the  Lord's  discourses  by  short  questions 
of  the  disciples,  in  12  :  41  ;   17  :  37. 

§  3.  The  whole  of  the  present  discourse  is  exhibited 
by  Matthew  in  an  unbroken  form,  beginning  at  24  : 4  and  ^ 

extending  to  the  end  of  ch.    25.     However,   he  furnishes    ^^A^ 
himself  the  key  to  the  whole  in  24  :  3,  where  the  disciples  ^  P. 
are    introduced  as  addressing    certain  questions  to  Him         ''^ 
(see  below,  at  the  verse).     Since  their  occasional  questions^ y  ^ 
convey  no  definite  information,  he  repeats  none  that  are  "  '     ffj 
afterwards  directed  to  the  Lord,  but  records  continuously        ••    J 
the  Lord's  own  words  only.     We  may  here  assume,  there-     ,f^ 
fore,  without  precisely   fixing  the    forms  of  the  several 
questions,    that    this    long    discourse    embodies    extended 
answers  of  the  Lord  to  a  succession  of  questions  from  the 
perturbed   disciples.     The  latter  are  greatly   perplexed; 
they  are  not  yet  aware  that  many  centuries  will  intervene 
between  the  fall  of  the   city  and  the   end  of  all   things  ; 
they  ask  many  questions,  the  substance  of  which  alone  is 
given  in  24:  3. 

§  4.  The  whole  discourse  as  here  presented  furnishes, 
accordingly,  the  substance  of  a  prolonged  conversation 
held  "  privately  "  (24 :  3)  between  the  Lord  and  "  Peter, 
James,  John  and  Andrew"  (Mark  13:3),  of  whom  the 
three  former  were  admitted  to  various  solemn  scenes 
which  no  other  disciple  witnessed  (see  above,  17  :  i,  B.). 


222  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxiv. 

Luther  remarks  incidentally  in  one  of  his  sermons  : 
"  Matthew  here  records  not  a  formal  discourse,  but  di  free 
and  unconstrained  conversation,''  and  Stier  (without,  how- 
ever, further  applying  the  principle  in  his  explanation  of 
the  chapter)  :  "  It  is  probable  that  our  Lord  did  not  speak 
continuously  and  without  certain  pauses,  or  precisely  in 
the  form  in  which  the  discourse  is  here  presented."  A 
similar  arrangement  of  extended  answers  to  questions 
occurs  in  ch.  i8  (see  ver.  i  and  21),  after  which  Matthew 
remarks  in  19  :  i  that  "  Jesus  finished  these  sayings  "= 
these  discourses.  The  same  expression,  occurring  below 
in  26  :  I,  indicates  that  here  also  the  Lord's  several 
answers  to  various  questions  implied  by  the  word  "  all " 
are  combined  as  one  discourse.  Thus  one  of  the  pauses 
in  the  conversation,  at  the  end  of  ver.  31,  not  marked  by 
Matthew  is  very  distinctly  visible  in  the  parallel  passage 
(Luke  21  :  29);  the  remark  there  made  that  the  Lord  now 

/  introduced  a  parable  shows  that  He  did  not  speak  contin- 
uously or  without  occasional  pauses,  or  questions  frornthe 
disciples.     At  another  parallel  place  (Luke  21  :  10)  there 

\i  is  also  an  indication  of  a  pause  in  the  discourse.  And  in 
the  abrupt  transition  in  Matt.  25  :  14,  there  appears  a 
trace  of  another  interruption  indicating  that  various  con- 
necting words  have  been  omitted  ;  a  comparison  with 
Mark  13  :  34,  where  the  whole  parable  is  compressed  in 
one  verse,  will  exhibit  even  more  extensive  omissions  in 
the  latter. 

§  5.  We  may  then  explain  the  contents  of  ch.  24  and 
ch.  25  according  to  the  following  principle  : — This  whole 
discourse  really  consists  of  several  distinct  series  of 
"sayings"  (26:  i)  or  remarks  which  are  pronounced 
partly  in  answer  to  occasional  questions  of  the  four 
disciples    not  recorded    by    Matthew,    but    indicated    by 


XXIV.]  CHAPTER  XXIV.  223 

Mark  and  Luke  to  a  certain  extent,  and  partly  prompted 
by  the  Lord's  knowledge  of  their  wishes  or  spiritual 
wants.  An  exact  specification  of  the  time  or  times  of 
future  events  He  refuses  to  give  ;  but  the  signs  of  coming 
events  He  reveals,  on  the  one  hand,  while,  on  the  other. 
He  desires  to  impress  on  them  and  those  whom  they 
should  afterwards  instruct,  the  truth  that  to  each  individ- 
ual his  own  death  is  equivalent  to  the  end  of  all  things. 
The  following  divisions  of  ch.  24  and  ch.  25  seem  to  offer 
themselves  to  our  view: — {li)  ch.  24:4-13.  Here,  in 
answer  to  the  question  in  ver.  3  respecting  the  sign 
(=indication)  that  "these  things"  mentioned  in  23  :  ^(> 
are  at  hand,  the  Lord  presents  a  rapid  view  of  the  trials 
of  believers  which  will  precede  the  fall  of  Jerusalem.  {U) 
24  :  14.  To  that  point  in  the  question  which  assumed 
that  these  events  will  coincide  in  time  with  His  last 
coming  at  the  end  of  the  world,  the  Lord  carefully  dis- 
tinguishes between  the  two  answers  in  the  negative  (see 
below,  ver.  14).  {c)  24  :  15-26.  Here  the  disciples  pos- 
sibly express  their  deep  interest  in  the  former  events, 
that  is,  in  their  future  trials,  the  dispersion  of  their 
nation,  etc.  The  Lord,  resuming  the  subject  by  saying, 
"  therefore  "  (see  below,  ver.  15,  A.),  now  gives  additional 
warnings  and  instructions  intended  to  guide  their  con- 
duct, {d)  24  :  27-31.  This  passage,  introduced  by  the 
word  "  For  "  (see  below,  ver.  27,  B.),  is  doubtless  the 
answer  to  a  question  expressed  or  indicated,  and  is  in- 
tended to  show  that  the  scenes  which  will  precede  His 
final  coming  to  judgment  will  differ  materially  from 
those  that  shall  precede  the  fall  of  the  city,  {c)  24 :  32-35. 
Here  the  Lord  makes  a  pause  in  the  discourse,  distinctly 
marked  in  Luke  21  :  29,  but  not  mentioned  by  Matthew. 
He  recurs  to  the  point  which  most  of  all  interested  His 
disci;)lcs,  who  exhibit   deep  emotion  and  possibly  renew 


X 


224  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxiv.  i. 

their  questions;  He  reminds  them  that  He  has  now 
revealed  with  sufficient  fulness  the  character  of  the 
events  which    shall    precede    the    fall  of    the   city.     (/") 

24  :  36-41.  The  Lord,  who  hitherto  had  spoken  not  for 
the  purpose  of  gratifying  an  idle  curiosity,  but  rather  of 
reaching  the  heart,  desires  now  to  impress  this  truth  in 
the  minds  of  His  disciples,  that  His  last  coming  and  the 
end  of  the  world  are  events  of  far  greater  importance 
than  the  fall  of  the  Jewish  State.  This  whole  passage,  as 
an  independent  portion,  is  omitted  by  Luke,  ch.  21, 
between  ver.  33  and  ver.  34.  {g)  24  :  42 — 25  :  30.  At 
this  point  the  disciples  are  apparently  so  deeply  moved 
that  they  cannot  interpose  new  questions ;  the  Lord 
proceeds  to  discuss  the  new  point  already  introduced  in 
in  24  :  36,  ff.,  namely,  that  the  death  of  each  individual 
is  really  "  the  end  "  in  his  own  case,  and  illustrates  man's 
responsibility  by  parables    (see    below,  24  :  44,   C).     {h) 

25  :  31-46.  He  completes  the  solemn  revelations  by  a 
description  of  the  Last  Judgment,  which  will  extend  to 
all  the  individuals  of  the  human  race. 

Obs.  G. — Various  remarks  which  occur  in  this  con- 
versation had  been  previously  made  by  the  Lord  in  His 
public  discourses  (comp.,  besides  the  parallel  passages  in 
Luke,  ch.  21,  also  Luke  12  :  36-40  and  17  :  24-36). 
These  remarks,  which  were  not  then  fully  understood  by 
the  disciples  (see  below,  ver.  36,  A.),  are  now  repeated  in 
a  connection  which  renders  their  meaning  more  distinct. 

'  And  Jesus  went  out  from  the  temple,  and  was  going  on  his  way:  and 
his  disciples  came  to  him  to  shew  him  the  buildings  of  the  temple. 

A.  Departed  .  ,  .  temple.  The  Lord  never  returned 
to  it — before  the  week  closed.  He  was  crucified. — B.  Dis= 
ciples  .  .  ,  shew.  They  did  not  exhibit  these  buildings 
to  Him  as  to  a  stranger;    the  Greek   word  implies  that 


XXIV.  2.J  CHAPTER  XX TV.  225 

\.\\Qy  poi.it cd  out,  called  His  attention  to  them,  as  it  is  also 
used  in  Luke  17  :  14  ;  24  :  40  ;  Acts  9  :  39.  They  indi- 
cated that  these  were  the  special  objects  of  their  interest 
at  the  moment,  tlms  inquirinp^  indirectly  whether  the 
awful  words  just  pronounced  :  "  Your  house,  etc."  (23  :  38), 
could  possibly  refer  to  these  sacred  buildings. — C.  Build= 
ings.  The  term  comprehends  all  the  magnificent  struct- 
ures (cloisters,  pillars,  walls,  etc.)  which  were  connected 
with  the  temple  (4  :  5,  E.),  and  which  Herod  during  his 
long  reign,  and  the  Jewish  authorities  after  his  day,  had 
erected  or  completed  (John  2  :  20  ;  see  Josephus,  Antiq. 
15,  ch.  II  ;  20,  9,  7  ;  War,  5,  ch.  5).  The  latter  remarks 
that  Herod  "  chose  out  10,000  of  the  most  skilful  work- 
men," whose  number  was  subsequently  increased  to 
18,000,  and  that  the  "goodly  stones"  (Luke  21  :  5)  of 
the  sacred  edifice,  or  rather  of  its  foundation,  were 
"  white  and  strong ;  their  length  was  25  cubits,  their 
height  was  8,  and  their  breadth  about  12  "  (Antiq.  15,  11, 
2  and  3).  He  elsewhere  (War,  5,  5,  6)  describes  some  of 
the  stones  of  the  walls  as  having  been  "45  cubits  in 
length,  5  in  height,  and  6  in  breadth  "  (for  cubit  see 
6  :  2-],  B.).  Josephus,  a  Jewish  historian  of  undoubted 
veracity  (born  A.  D.  37),  has  left  a  full  account  of  the 
Jewish  War,  which,  without  any  such  intention  on  his 
part,  affords  many  remarkable  illustrations  of  the  words 
spoken  by  the  Lord  in  this  chapter  (see  K.  von  Raumer's 
"  Credibility  of  Josephus,"  in  Palcsstina,  p.  466), 

^  But  he  answered  and  said  unto  them,  See  ye  not  all  these  things  ?  verily 
I  say  unto  you,  There  shall  not  be  left  here  one  stone  upon  another,  that 
shall  not  be  thrown  down. 

The  sense  is  :  These  various  objects  to  which  you  point 

I  do  mean ;  all  these    massive    walls    will    inevitably    be 

broken  down,  and  devastation  and  ruin  will  overwhelm 

the  whole.     The  Romans  literally  fulfilled  this  prediction, 

15 


226  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxiv.  3. 

according  to  Joscphus  (War,  7,  i,  i),  inasmuch  as,  after 
the  capture  of  the  city,  when  "  the  army  [of  the  Romans] 
had  no  more  people  to  slay  or  plunder,"  then  "they 
demolished  the  entire  city  and  temple,"  except  some  por- 
tions which  were  spared  as  trophies  of  their  victory  ;  the 
very  foundation  was  dug  up,  and  all  traces  of  an  inhabited 
city  were  destroyed,  as  he  informs  us.  (Compare  the 
description  in  Ps.  79  :  1-4  of  the  Babylonian  Conquest.) 

^  And  as  he  sat  on  the  mount  of  Olives,  the  disciples  came  unto  him  pri- 
vately, saying.  Tell  us,  when  shall  these  things  be  ?  and  what  shall  be  the 
sign  of  thy  coming,  and  of  the  end  of  the  world? 

A.  As  he  sat  ,  .  .  Olives.  The  original  implies  that 
after  He  had  reached  this  spot  on  leaving  the  temple,  and 
seated  Himself,  the  disciples  came  to  Him.  The  temple 
and  the  city,  the  approaching  ruin  of  which  filled  their 
minds  with  gloom,  were  in  full  view.  For  the  mount  of 
Olives,  see  ann.  to  21  :  i. — B.  The  disciples  .  .  .  pri= 
vately.  Only  four  of  the  whole  number  are  here  meant 
(Mark  13:3,  and  see  Prel.  Obs.  F.  §4).  The  term  pri= 
vately  {=apart,  17  :  19  ;  when  tJicy  zvcrc  alone,  Mark  4  :  34) 
doubtless  refers  to  the  absence  of  the  other  disciples,  as 
on  somewhat  similar  occasions  of  deep  import. — C.  Tell 
us  .  .  •  world.  According  to  the  view  presented  above 
(Prel.  Obs.  F.  §  3),  Matthew  places  these  questions  here 
in  order  to  indicate  that  the  prolonged  discourse  which 
follows  was  occasioned  by  certain  interrogatories  to  which 
the  Lord  furnishes  replies.  The  first  of  the  t%vo  ques- 
tions refers  to  \.\\^  precise  time  of  the  occurrence  of  "  these 
thiiigs"  which  the  Lord  had  mentioned  in  23  :  36,  and 
now  repeats  in  ver.  2.  The  second  question  is  to  be 
viewed  in  connection  with  the  following  facts: — There 
were  certain  lessons  which,  previously  to  the  day  of  Pen- 
tecost, when  the  Holy  Ghost  was  poured  out  (Acts,  ch.  2), 
the  disciples  were  not  prepared  to  learn  (John  16  :  12,  13). 


XXIV.  4-]  CHAPTER  XXIV.  227 

Even  after  His  resurrection  their  impatience  to  know  the 
future,  and  their  incorrect  views,  are  gently  rebuked  by 
the  Lord  (Acts  i  :  6,  7).  Here  the  same  ignorance  or 
confusion  of  thought  is  manifested  by  them.  They  are 
not  distinctly  conscious  that  the  end  of  the  world  will  be  / 
widely  separated  in  time  from  the  overthrow  of  the  Jew-  / 
ish  State,  and  imagine  that  the  "  coming  "  of  the  Lord, 
when  Jerusalem  shall  fall,  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  end 
of  the  world,  on  the  other,  will  coincide  in  the  time.  The 
questions  as  here  stated  by  Matthew  probably  contain  the 
substance  of  several  others  referring  chiefly  to  the  signs 
of  those  momentous  events,  by  which  the  disciples  may 
know  that  they  are  at  hand.  They,  moreover,  appear  to 
imagine  that  the  "  end  of  the  world  "  is  so  near,  that  they 
may  still  live  when  it  occurs.  They  remember  indeed 
the  remarkable  words  spoken  in  16  :  27,  28,  and  19  :  28  ; 
but  of  the  th)ics  of  the  events  there  revealed  and  of  the 
events  themselves,  they  had  yet  no  clear  conception. — D. 
Thy  coming.  On  this  subject,  see  above,  10:  23,  B. — E. 
The  end  of  the  world.  For  the  term  here  translated  world, 
see  12  :  32,  C.  Precisely  the  same  Greek  phrase  occurs 
in  13  :  39,  40,  49,  and  28  :  20;  neither  there  nor  in  the 
present  verse  can  it  possibly  mean  simply  the  end  of  the 
Jewish  State,  but  can  only  refer  to  the  end  of  all  things^ 
the  passing  away  of  this  earth  (2  Peter  3  :  10). 

*  And  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them,  Take  heed  that  no  man  lead 
you  astray. 

That  is : — Be  on  your  guard  ;  and  believe  no  one  whose 
doctrines  differ  from  Mine  ;  you  will  be  exposed  to  many 
trials  of  your  faith  before  these  massive  buildings  shall  be 
cast  down.  Such  watchfulness  will  be  of  more  value  to 
you  than  a  knowledge  of  the  time  ("  when  ").  The  warn- 
ing is  repeated  by  Paul  (Eph.  5:6;  Col.  2  :  8  ;  2  Thess. 
2  :  3).     As  in  a  similar  case  (Luke  13  :  23,  24),  so  the  Lord 


228  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxjv.  5. 

here,  while  refusing  to  give  a  direct  answer,  replies  by 

uttering  a  solemn  admonition  :  "  He  began  to  say,  etc." 

(Mark  13  :  5),  that  is,  He  introduced  in  succession  several 

topics  of  deep  interest. 

'For  many  shall  come  in  my  name,  saying,  I   am  the  Christ;  and  shall 
lead  many  astray. 

Each  will  falsely  assume  My  name  and  character,  saying, 
I  am  the  promised  Messiah  ;  each  of  these  impostors  will 
succeed  in  persuading  "  many  "  that  he  is  the  promised 
Deliverer.  Many  impostors  and  deceivers  arose  among 
the  Jews,  according  to  the  testimony  of  Josephus  (Antiq. 
20,  8,  6;  War,  2,  13,  5),  before  the  city  was  destroyed. 
Thus,  he  mentions  "  that  Egyptian  "  whom  the  chief  cap- 
tain, in  the  first  alarm,  supposed  Paul  to  be  (Acts  21  :  38) ; 
this  man,  like  others,  pretended  that  he  could  exhibit 
signs  and  wonders,  and,  as  it  was  estimated,  about  30,000 
individuals  were  "  deceived  "  by  him.  Others,  who  pre- 
tended respectively  to  be  "  some  great  one,"  or  "  the  great 
power  of  God,"  like  Simon  the  sorcerer,  Theudas  and 
Judas  of  Galilee,  are  already  mentioned  incidentally  in 
Acts  5  :  36,  37;  8  :  9,  10.  Our  historical  records  have 
not  preserved  the  name  of  any  impostor  who  ventured, 
before  the  fall  of  the  city,  to  announce  himself  publicly 
and  without  any  reserve  as  the  "  very  Christ  "  (John  7  :  26 ; 
Acts  9  :  22)  or  Messiah  Himself;  such  pretensions  were 
no  doubt  confined  to  the  small  circles  of  the  initiated 
while  the  Jewish  authorities  retained  their  power.  Hence 
Dositheus  the  Samaritan,  the  founder  of  a  numerous  sect 
during  and  after  the  age  of  the  apostles,  publicly  claimed 
to  be  only  the  prophet  announced  in  Deut.  18  :  18,  but  in 
private  may  have  described  himself  as  "  the  Christ."  But 
after  the  fall  of  the  city,  when  detection  was  less  prompt 
and  easy,  many  "  false  Christs  "  appeared,  of  whom  the 
one  best  known,  Barchochebas  or  Bar-Cochba  (=5<?«  of  a 


XXIV.  6.]  CHAPTER  XXIV.  229 

star,  the  ambitious  title  which  he  assumed  in  allusion  to 
Numb.  24  :  17),  perished  in  the  year  135.  Such  a  "  false 
Christ  "  could  possibly  claim  that  he  was  the  Lord  Jesus 
himself,  and  that  His  promised  "coming"  now  occurred. 
Hence  the  Lord  discriminates  carefully  in  the  subsequent 
discourse  between  the  era  of  the  fall  of  Jerusalem,  which 
alone  concerned  the  disciples  personally,  and  the  distant 
period  when  the  General  Judgment  will  occur. — Deceive 
many  (see  ver.  1 1). 

*  And  ye  shall   hear  of  wars  and  rumors  of  wars  :  see  that  ye  be  not 
troubled  :  for  these  things  must  needs  come  to  pass,  but  the  end  is  not  yet. 

A.     Wars  ,  .  .  wars^while  a  bloody   war  prevails  in 

one  part  of  the  Roman  Empire,  ye   will  be  alarmed  by 

tidings  that  other  wars  are  on  the  point  of  commencing 

elsewhere.      The    Romans    repeatedly    threatened    war 

against  the    Jews  before    the    reign  of  Vespasian.     The 

Lord  possibly   alludes  to  the  wars  of  the  Romans  with 

the  Parthians,  to  the  enormous  numbers  of  Jews  slain  in 

the  Syrian  and  other  cities  (Jos.  War.,  2,  ch.  18  ;  Antiq.  20, 

ch.  3  and  4),  to  the  wars  of  rival  emperors,  Otho,  Vitel- 

lius,   etc.     Large  portions    of  the   Roman    Empire  were 

convulsed  by  war  during  the  whole  period  preceding  the 

fall    of  the  city. — B.     Be    not    troubled=do   not    vainly 

believe    that    these    convulsions,  which    will  occur    long 

before  the  Gospel  shall  have  reached  all  nations,  indicate 

the  actual  end  of  the  world.     It  is  worthy  of  observation 

that  when   Paul  imparts  precisely  the  same  lesson  to  the 

Thessalonians,    he    employs    the    same    word,    rendered 

Xxo\x\AQA=disturbed ,    alarmed   (2    Thess.  2  :  2). — C.     For 

all,    etc.=for     "  the    end  "    of    the    world,    concerning 

which   ye    inquired    (ver,    3),  is    not   indicated    by    these 

events.     Hence,  vast  and  bloody  wars,  and  even  the  fall 

of  empires,  by  no  means  constitute  sure  signs  of  the  near 

approach  of  the  end  of  the  world. — -All  these  things=now 


230  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxiv.  7. 

mentioned  in  reference  to  the   fall   of  the  city  (see  ver. 

34). — Must=certainly  will  (see  16  :  21,  C). 

^  For  nation  shall  rise  against  nation,  and  kingdom  against  kingdom  :  and 
there  shall  be  famines  and  earthquakes  in  divers  places. 

The  Lord  here  refers  to  the  language  of  the  prophets 
(for  instance,  Isai.  19  :  2  ;  Jerem.  51  :  46),  as  well  as  2 
Chron.  15:6  with  which  the  disciples  were  familiar, 
and  which  described  in  general  terms  great  political 
convulsions,  national  calamities,  and  wars ;  the  terms 
employed  refer  here  to  facts  and  are  to  be  literally 
understood.— Famines.  One  of  great  severity  which 
occurred  A.  D.  49  is  incidentally  mentioned  in  Acts 
II  :  28,  whereas  in  Acts  7:11,  the  same  Greek  word 
is  rendered  dearth  ;  it  is  sometimes  rendered  hunger, 
as  in  Luke  15  :  17  ;  2  Cor.  16  :  27,  hwtfauiinc  in  Rom.  8  : 
35  (see  Jos.  Antiq.  20,  2,  5). — Pestilences.  Here  a  general 
name  is  employed,  indicating  calamities  like  the  oriental 
Plague  or  any  malignant  diseases  that  are  contagious  or 
infectious  as  well  as  epidemic  and  mortal.  One  pestilence 
alone,  in  A.  D.  65,  in  a  single  autumn  carried  off  30,000 
persons  in  Rome.  The  appalling  scourge  of  the  pesti- 
lence is  often  mentioned  in  the  O.  T.  (Lev.  26  :  25  ;  i 
Kings  8  :  37  ;  Ps.  91  :  3,  6;  Ezek.  7  :  15). —  Earthquakes. 
These  are  also  frequently  mentioned  in  the  O.  T.  (e.  g. 
Isai.  24  :  20 ;  29:6),  and  have  occurred  in  the  Holy  Land 
as  well  as  in  other  countries.  In  addition  to  several 
others  that  took  place  between  A.  D.  46  and  A.  D.  60  in 
"  divers  (=sundry,  various)  places  "  in  the  Roman  Empire 
and  are  mentioned  by  historians,  there  was  a  violent  earth- 
quake in  the  year  63,  that  is,  about  seven  years  before  the 
fall  of  the  city,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Mount  Vesuvius, 
which  partially  destroyed  Pompeii  (Tac.  Ann.  15  :  22); 
the  earthquake  which  completely  ruined  it  as  well  as 
Herculancuni  occurred  about    16  years  afterAvards,  A.  D. 


XXIV.  8,9-]  CHAPTER  XXIV.  231 

79.  Previously,  during  the  reign  of  Tiberius,  thirteen 
cities  of  Asia  Minor  were  destroyed  in  one  night  by  an 
earthquake.  The  imperfect  historical  records  referring  to 
that  period  which  are  extant  do  not  furnish  full  details 
of  the  events  which  the  Lord  here  predicts, 

^  But  all  these  things  are  the  beginning  of  travail. 

That  is :  Such  events,  as  a  mere  "  beginning,"  will  be 
succeeded  by  greater  horrors  which  will  ultimately  over- 
whelm the  city  and  the  whole  nation.  The  Greek  word 
for  sorrows,  occurring  also  in  Acts  2  :  24,  indicates 
originally  pangs  which  are  intense,  but  also  of  compara- 
tively short  duration=(throes,  i  Thess.  5:3;  John  16  : 
21). 

'  Then  shall  they  deliver  you  up  unto  tribulation,  and  shall  kill  you  :  and 
ye  shall  be  hated  of  all  the  nations  for  my  name's  sake. 

A.  Then  shall  .  .  .  you.  The  word  shall  is  here  simply 
the  sign  of  the  future  tense=will.  Similar  predictions 
had  already  been  made  in  10  :  17;  23  :  34.  They  pos-  /) 
sibly  refer  to  cases  like  that  of  Stephen  (Acts  7  :  59), 
James  (Acts  12  :  2),  and  the  persecution  of  the  Christians  ^\ 
under  the  Emperor  Nero,  during  whose  reign  the  apostles 
Peter  and  Paul  are  said  to  have  suffered  martyrdom. — B. 
Ye  shall  be,  etc.=the  Jews  will  regard  you  as  enemies  of 
their  religion,  and  consequently  as  enemies  of  God  ;  and 
all  nations  (=Gentiles)  will  hate  you  (see  above  10  :  22, 
A.,  and  comp.  John  16  :  2  with  Acts  6  :  14  ;  26  :  9 ;  28  : 
22  ;  I  Cor.  4:13;  I  Peter  2  :  12  ;  3  :  16;  4  :  14). — For  my 
name's  sake=as  Christians  (Peter  4  :  16),  adherents  of 
Christ  whom  the  Jews  with  impious  unbelief  denied  and  ''' 
slew,  and  to  whose  disciples  they  transferred  their  original 
hatred  of  the  Lord  Jesus  (Acts  4:2;  see  10  :  22,  B.). 
An  ancient  writer  states  that  the  very  name — a  CJiristian 
— when  it  was  heard  by  the  heathen,  provoked  a  war 
against  itself,  as  if  it  implied  a  crime. 


232  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.        [xxiV.  10-12. 

'°  And  then  shall  many  stumble,  and  shall  deliver  up  one  another,  and 
shall  hate  one  another. 

A.  Offended=will  stumble  and  fall,  will  allow  such 
trials  to  shake  their  faith,  to  destroy  their  confidence  in 
God,  and  will  renounce  the  Christian  religion  (13  :  21). 
For  the  word  offend,  see  5  :  29,  C,  and  for  illustrations, 
2  Tim.  I  :  15  ;  4  :  10,  16;  i  John  2  :  19,  and  comp.  Hebr. 
12:3,  ff. — B.  Betray  one  another=through  fear  of  per- 
secution or  through  bribes,  some  professing  believers 
will  denounce  their  brethren  to  their  persecutors.  Such 
scenes  occurred  during  the  reign  of  Nero,  a  few  years 
before  the  fall  of  the  city  (Tac.  Ann.  15,  44). — C.  Shall 
hate,  etc.=these  treacherous  and  apostate  Christians  will 
act  as  enemies  that  hate.  The  Lord  here  repeats,  accord- 
ing to  Mark  13  :  12,  words  that  He  had  uttered  once 
before  (see  above,  10  :  21). 

"'  And  many  false  prophets  shall  arise,  and  shall  lead  many  astray. 

(See  7:15,  B.,  and  above,  ann.  to  ver.  5.)  These  cau- 
tions are  repeated  by  Paul  (Acts  20:  29,  30;  Rom.  16  :  18; 
2  Cor.  11:13;  Gal.  1:7;  2:4;  i  Tim.  4  :  i  ;  2  Tim.  3:1), 
by  Peter  (2  Peter  2  :  i),  and  by  John  (i  John  2:18:4:1; 
see  below,  ver.  23). 

'^  And  because  iniquity  shall  be  multiplied,  the  love  of  the  many  shall 
wax  cold. 

The  iniquity  that  abounds  (^multiplies,  increases ; 
comp.  the  same  word  in  Acts  12  :  24;  i  Peter  i  :  2)  is 
the  iniquity  or  unbelief  of  the  persecutors,  aggravated  or 
rendered  more  trying  by  the  unfaithfulness  and  apostasy 
of  professing  Christians  (comp.  2  Tim.  3  :  1-5).— Wax 
(see  13  :  15,  A.).  Love,  the  great  Christian  principle 
(22  :  37-40),  the  most  holy  emotion  which  the  human 
heart  is,  by  grace,  made  capable  of  entertaining,  is  com- 
pared to  the  sacred  fire  which  burned  perpetually  on 
the  altar  (Lev.  6  :  9-13). — Many,  forbearing  to  watch  and 


XXIV.  13,  I4-]  CHAPTER  XXIV.  233 

pray  and  to  hold  fast  to  the  divine  promises,  will  allow 
the  grateful  love  with  which  they  had  professed  the  name 
of  Christ,  and  the  fraternal  love  with  which  they  had 
regarded  their  brethren,  to  be  extinguished  by  fear  or 
other  unholy  emotions,  and  will  renounce  a  cause  which 
involves  them  in  severe  earthly  trials  (2  Thess.  2:3:2 
Tim.  1:15;  Hebr.  10  :  25). 

"  But  he  that  endureth  to  the  end,  the  same  shall  be  saved. 

For  the  future  encouragement  of  believers  when  the 
trials  here  predicted  shall  occur,  the  Lord  graciously 
promises  eternal  salvation  (^perfect  and  eternal  deliver- 
ance from  all  evil,  2  Peter  2:9:2  Tim.  4  :  18)  to  those 
who  in  faith  endure  (=bear,  sustain)  their  trials  unto  the 
end  of  their  course  on  earth  (comp.  2  Tim.  2  :  12  and 
James  i  :  12  ;  5  :  1 1). — Unto  (the)  end=of  life  (Rev.  2  :  10), 
as  in  John  13:1;  Hebr.  3  :  14;  Rev.  2  :  26.  The  definite 
article  tJie,  which  in  ver.  6  and  ver.  14  gives  prominence 
to  the  great  end=the  end  of  all  things,  is  here  omitted, 
and  the  adverbial  form  of  the  Greek  phrase  simply  indi- 
cates the  idea  oi  finally,  per severingly. 

^  And  this  gospel  of  the  kingdom  shall  be  preached  in  the  whole  world 
for  a  testimony  unto  all  the  nations  ;  and  then  shall  the  end  come. 

A.  The  rapid  transition  in  this  verse  from  the  fall  of 
the  city  to  the  "  end "  of  the  world  may  be  thus  ex- 
plained. The  disciples  had  heard  the  Lord  speak  pre- 
viously (ver.  6)  of  a  certain  remote  "end";  here,  at  the 
close  of  ver.  13,  in  which  He  had  employed  the  same 
word  "  end  "  (meaning  the  close  of  the  individual's  life 
on  earth),  they  inquire  whether  He  declared  that  im- 
mediately after  the  events  just  mentioned  as  signs  of  the 
approaching  fall  of  Jerusalem,  the  "  end  of  the  world  " 
itself  (ver.  3)  would  occur.  The  phrase,  this  gospel, 
which  indicates  that  some  reference  had  just  been  made 


234  THE  GOSPEL  UF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxiv.  14. 

to  the  Gospel,  and  also  the  absence  of  the  words  found 
in  Luke  21  :  18,  19,  show  that  Matthew  has  here  omitted 
a  portion  of  the  conversation  and  proceeds  with  his 
report  only  when  the  Lord  Himself  resumes  the  regular 
discourse.  After  the  fall  of  the  city  and  before  the 
"end"  of  the  world,  the  tidings  of  the  Gospel  shall  be 
carried  to  all  nations,  thus  showing  that  the  interval 
would  be  of  comparatively  great  length. — B.  And.  The 
word  so  translated,  and  its  corresponding  Hebrew  con- 
nective, admit  of  various  modes  of  application.  The 
latter  even  begins  several  books  (Exod.  i  :  i  ;  i  Kings 
I  :  I  ;  Ezra  i  :  i)  and  letters  (2  Kings  5:6;  10  :  2),  and 
is  translated  now,  referring  generally  to  preceding  words 
or  facts,  or  it  indicates  that  a  general  subject  is  resumed 
or  a  new  one  introduced.  In  the  N.  T.  it  is  sometimes 
equivalent  to  tJien,  after  that,  as  in  Matt.  3  :  16;  4  :  3,  or 
is  translated  /^?// (Mark  12  :  12;  Acts  10  :  28);  therefore 
(i  Cor.  5:13)  and  for  in  Acts  23  :  3  ;  i  John  1:2;  3:4. 
It  is  sometimes  equivalent  to  namely,  as  in  John  i  :  16  (= 
namely,  grace,  etc.;  i  Cor.  3  :  5,  "even").  Here  it  im- 
plies that  the  disciples  had  here  interposed  a  question, 
and  that  the  Lord  said  in  reply :  TJiat  end  of  the  world 
itself  shall  not  come  Wv^n,  for  this  gospel,  etc. — C.  This 
gospel  of  the  kingdom.  The  word  this  may  allude  to 
the  joyful  intelligence  of  salvation  involved  in  the  words: 
"shall  be  saved"  (ver.  13;  comp.  26:  13,  A.);  but  it  more 
probably  refers  to  the  Gospel  which  the  disciples  and 
their  successors  were  to  preach,  and  which  possibly  had 
been  just  mentioned  in  the  intermediate  conversation  ; 
for  the  whole  phrase,  see  4  :  23,  C. — D.  World.  The 
original  word  {pikouniene),  differing  from  that  which  is 
similarly  translated  in  ver.  3,  and  signifyiiig  tJie  inhabited 
{earth),  although  used  sometimes  in  a  restricted  sense 
(Luke    2:1;    Acts    1 1  :  28  ;    19  :  27=Palestine,    or=the 


XXIV.  is]  chapter  XXIV.  235 

Roman  Empire),  is  evidently  intended,  as  the  words  "  all 
nations"  and  the  statement  in  Rom.  11  :  25  show,  to 
designate  the  habitable  globe,  the  whole  world,  as  in 
Acts  17  :  31  ;  Rom.  10  :  18;  Hebr.  1:6.  In  the  analo- 
gous passage  (Matt.  26  :  13),  another  word  {kosinos),  trans- 
lated "world,"  is  the  one  occurring  in  4  :  8  ;  13  :  38  ; 
16  :  26.  The  ancient  prophecies  had  repeatedly  declared : 
"  The  earth  shall  be  full  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord, 
etc."  (Isai.  11:9;  Hab.  2  :  14).  America  and  other  por- 
tions of  the  globe,  the  homes  of  millions  of  men,  were 
not  then  known  even  by  name.  Nevertheless,  the  Gospel 
was  to  be  sent  to  those  parts  of  the  world,  too,  before 
the  "  end  "  should  come, — E.  For  a  witness  .  .  .  nations 
,=bearing  witness,  according  to  the  great  purpose  of  the 
Gospel  (John  i  :  17;  Tit.  2  :  11),  to  all  men  concerning 
the  love  of  God  revealed  in  Christ  (i  Cor.  1:6;  2:1; 
see  ch.  8  :  4,  D.). — F.  And  then,  etc.  The  day  of  judg- 
ment will  not  arrive  until  the  Gospel  shall  have  been 
previously  proclaimed  to  all  nations^"  the  whole  world  " 
(Matt.  26  :  13). — 'X\v&x\=tJicrcupon,  after  that.  The  word 
is  decisive  as  to  the  order  of  the  events,  without  indi- 
cating the  length  of  the  interval  between  them. 

1'  When  therefore  ye  see  the  abomination  of  desolation  which  was 
spoken  of  by  Daniel  the  prophet,  standing  in  the  holy  place,  (let  him  that 
readeth  understand). 

A.  Therefore.  At  this  point  the  painful  interest 
which  the  disciples  felt  in  the  coming  events  that  so 
nearly  concerned  them  and  their  nation,  manifests  itself 
by  exclamations  or  questions,  and  the  Lord  pauses. 
The  evidence  of  this  fact  is  found  in  the  variations  occur- 
ring in  the  reports  in  Mark  13  :  14  and  Luke  21  :  20;  both 
of  these  evangelists  prefix  other  words  to  this  verse, 
showing  that  the  conversation  had  been  resumed  and  had 
interrupted   the   Lord's  discourse.     At  the    point  where 


236  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxiv.  15. 

He  again  proceeds  with  His  discourse,  the  three 
evangehsts  coincide  substantially.  Christ  now  furnishes 
additional  and  detailed  instructions  in  ver.  15-26  respect- 
ing the  conduct  of  the  disciples  and  of  their  Christian 
associates  when  the  times  of  trial  should  be  at  hand.  The 
introductory  word  therefore  indicates  that  He  resumes 
the  subject  which  He  had  discussed  to  the  end  of  ver.  13, 
but  temporarily  dropped  while  uttering  the  words  in 
ver.  14.  Such  resumptions  after  short  interruptions  or 
parentheses,  by  means  of  the  word  tlicrefore,  are  frequent 
(see  7  :  24  ;  10  :  32,  and  comp.  John  6  :  24  with  ver.  22 
of  that  chapter,  or  Hebr.  4:11  with  ver.  6). — B.  Abom= 
ination  .  .  .  place.  The  prophet  Daniel,  who  lived  six 
hundred  years  before  the  Christian  era,  was  permitted  to, 
see  many  future  events  in  his  visions.  Among  these  are 
the  remarkable  revelations  which  he  received  concerning 
the  Messiah.  Josephus  says :  "  Daniel  also  wrote  con- 
cerning the  Roman  government,  and  that  our  country 
should  be  made  desolate  by  them"  (Ant.  10,  11,  7). 
The  words  in  the  Book  of  Daniel  to  which  the  Lord 
here  refers  are  found  in  ch.  9  :  26,  27;  12  :  ii. — ^The  holy 
place  (in  the  original  simply  "  a  holy  place")  is  supposed 
by  some  to  be  the  temple,  although  Matthew,  in  13  :  14, 
instead  of  this  phrase,  says :  "  where  it  ought  not."  That 
the  temple  cannot  be  meant  is  obvious  ;  for  when  the 
Romans  actually  did  offer  sacrifices  to  their  ensigns 
on  the  site  of  the  temple,  the  sacred  buildings  had  been 
already  burned  (Jos.  War,  6,  6,  i),  while  here  our  Lord 
evidently  refers  to  a  time  preceding  the  destruction  of 
the  temple,  when  the  escape  of  fugitives  was  still  possible 
(ver.  16).  Probably  Judaea,  or  the  region  around  the  city, 
called  "  the  holy  land  "  (Zech.  2  :  12),  is  implied ;  like  the 
city  (4  :  5,  C),  the  whole  land  belonged  to  the  Lord 
and  was   regarded  as  holy  (see  Lev.  25  :  23  ;  Jer.  2  :  7  ; 


XXIV.  15-]  CHAPTER  XXIV.  237 

Hos.  9  :  3).  Christ  here  indicates  that  His  disciples 
should  withdraw  from  the  city  before  the  temple  should 
be  taken  and  destroyed  ;  moreover,  Luke,  who  omits 
these  words,  supplies  the  following  :  "  When  ye  shall  see 
Jerusalem  compassed  with  armies  "  (21  :  22),  which  evi- 
dently alludes  to  the  approach  of  the  Roman  armies  with 
their  standards  exhibiting  the  well-known  Roman  eagles. 
(These  were  figures  of  gold  or  silver  about  the  size  of  a 
pigeon,  and  were  borne  on  the  tops  of  spears  with  their 
wings  displayed  ;  when  the  army  marched,  the  eagle  was 
always  visible  to  the  legions.)  These  representatives  of 
living  creatures  were  abhorred  by  the  Jews  on  account 
of  the  idolatrous  rites  represented  by  them  (Jos.  Ant.  17, 
6,  2).  The  word  stand  (lit.  standing)  indicates  a  pro- 
longed presence  of  the  abomination  of  desolation=the 
desolating  abomination.  The  original  word  for  abomi= 
nation  which  Daniel  employs  designated  any  vile  and 
odious  thing,  particularly  when  connected  with  the  pol- 
lutions of  idolatry  (Zech.  9:7;  Nahum  3:6:2  Kings 
23  :  24).  Possibly  the  ensigns  and  the  images  of  the 
Roman  emperor  are  included,  such  as  Pilate  in  vain 
attempted  at  an  earlier  period  to  introduce  into  Jeru- 
salem (Jos.  War,  2,  9,  2).  So,  too,  when  Vitellius  in- 
tended to  conduct  an  army  through  Judaea,  the  Jews 
remonstrated  effectually  against  the  passage  of  the  troops 
through  their  country,  on  account  of  the  images  in  their 
ensigns  (Jos.  Ant.  18,  5,  3).  The  sense  of  the  whole  may 
then  be : — When  the  armies  and  standards  of  the  pagan 
Romans  establish  themselves  on  the  soil  of  the  holy  land, 
with  the  evident  intent  to  spread  desolation  over  it, 
then,  etc.  But  if  "  the  holy  place  "  be  understood  in  its 
technical  sense,  the  reference  in  "  the  abomination  of 
desolation  "  may  be  to  the  scenes  of  violence,  murder, 
consecrations  of  usurping  priests,  etc.   (see  Jos.  War,  iv. 


J 


238  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.       [xxiv.  16,  17. 

686-8). — C.  (Whoso  .  .  .  understand.)  Some  suppose 
that  Matthew  himself  introduces  this  parenthesis  ;  but  as  it 
occurs  also  in  Mark  13  :  14,  it  is  evidently  a  part  of  the 
Lord's  discourse.  He  Himself,  whose  own  words  Matthew 
is  here  very  careful  not  to  interrupt  at  all,  calls  the  atten- 
tion of  His  disciples  specially  to  the  angel's  language 
occurring  in  the  ancient  prophecy  (Dan.  9  :  23  ;  12  :  10), 
as  a  guide  for  their  own  future  meditations.  Such  brief 
parenthetical  remarks  are  not  uncommon  (see  13  :  9,  43  ; 
John  7  :  22  ;  Rev.  2:9). — Whoso  readeth=for  the  instruc- 
tion of  himself  and  of  others. 

'*  Then  let  them  that  are  in  in  Judaea  flee  unto  the  mountains  : 
That  is  :  If  ye  had  hitherto  still  lingered,  do  ye  and 
all  who  receive  my  words,  at  once  abandon  the  whole 
land,  for  the  siege  of  the  city  and  the  ruin  of  the 
country  are  at  hand. — Flee  .  .  .  mountains^seek  places 
of  refuge  (Gen.  19  :  17;  Judg.  6  :  2  ;  i  Sam.  13  :  6). — 
It  is  said  (Euseb.  EccL  Hist.  iii.  5)  that  shortly  before 
the  fall  of  the  cify,  the  Christians,  in  obedience  to  this 
command,  withdrew  in  a  body  and  went  beyond  the 
Jordan  to  Pella,  a  city  situated  in  the  northern  part  of 
Peraea  (Jos.  War,  3,  3,  3),  in  the  mountainous  region  on 
the  north-eastern  confines  of  the  Holy  Land.  (Comp. 
Jos.  War,  2,  ch.  19,  6,  and  ch.  20,  i,  respecting  the  flight 
of  many  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem.) 

"  Let  him  that  is  on  the  housetop  not  go  down  to  take  out  the  things 
that  are  in  his  house : 

The  roofs  of  the  houses  were  flat,  affording  conveni- 
ences for  walking,  and  were  sometimes  chosen,  as  in 
Peter's  case  (Acts  10  :  9),  by  those  who  sought  retire- 
ment. The  housetop  was  reached  both  from  the  interior 
of  the  house,  and  also  by  a  staircase  on  the  outside  (9 :  2, 
D.).     The  image  is  that  of  a  man  to  whom  the  sudden- 


XXIV.  I8-20.]  CHAPTER  XXIV.  239 

iiess  of  the  danger  leaves  no  time  to  collect  provisions 
and  clothing  for  his  flight :  if  the  Christians  linger  too 
long  in  the  city  when  the  Jewish  war  is  beginning,  they 
will  find  all  means  of  escape  cut  off  (comp.  Luke  17  :  3'. 
and  see  above,  Prel.  Obs.  G.). 

'^  And  let  him  that  is  in  the  field  not  return  back  to  take  his  cloak. 
This  additional  image  enforces  the  precept  of  the 
former  verse,  that  no  time  should  be  wasted  in  escaping 
from  the  doomed  city.  The  Lord  designs  to  extinguish 
the  last  hope  of  His  disciples  that  the  city  will  be  spared. 
—Clothes.  The  mantle  or  cloak  (5  :  40,  B.  ;  26  :  65,  A.) 
was  not  worn  during  the  labors  of  the  field  or  when 
other   work   was  performed    (comp.    John    13:4;    Acts 

7  :  58)- 

'9  But  woe  unto  them  that  are  with  child,  and  to  them  that  give  suck  in 
those  days ! 

Woe=alas  for,  etc.  (11:21,  A.).  The  Lord  refers  to 
the  unspeakable  miseries  of  the  times,  the  dispersion  of 
families  and  the  painful  trials  which  the  helpless  fugitives 
will  endure,  particularly  referring  to  mothers;  the  allu- 
sion is  to  that  holy  principle  of  love  which  will  not  allow 
a  mother  to  consider  her  own  safety  unless  she  first  pro- 
vide for  that  of  her  offspring,  whence  she  is  liable  to 
perish  with  the  latter. 
2°  And  pray  ye  that  your  flight  be  not  in  the  winter,  neither  on  a  sabbath : 
That  is:  Let  prayer  and  uninterrupted  communion 
with  God  sustain  you.  The  Lord  here  evidently  refers 
to  believers  whose  faith  would  prompt  them  to  prefer  a 
painful  flight  to  a  continuance  in  the  city.  They  are 
permitted  to  pray  for  two  alleviations:  first,  that  the 
privations  and  sufferings  which  necessarily  attend  such  a 
flight  may  not  be  aggravated  by  the  severity  of  the  sea- 
son of  the  year  ;  and,  secondly,  that  their  flight  may  not 


240  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxiv.  21. 

be  attended  by  circumstances  or  apparently  necessary 
acts  that  might  either  offend  the  Jews  as  violations  of 
the  letter  of  the  law,  or  disturb  their  own  peace  of  con- 
science. This  point  is  illustrated  by  a  reference  to  the 
manner  in  which  a  conscientious  Jew  regarded  the  observ- 
ance of  the  Sabbath  (Exod.  16  :  29;  Jer.  17  :  22).  Two 
sources  of  trial  are  specified  :  first,  natural  causes  ;  sec- 
ondly, social  or  religious  institutions.  Josephus  remarks 
(Ant.  13,  8,  4)  that  it  was  not  lawful  for  a  Jew  to  journey 
on  a  Sabbath  or  a  festival  day  ;  for  the  distance  called  a 
"  Sabbath  day's,"  see  21:1. 

^'  For  there  shall  be  great  tribulation,  such  as  hath  not  been  from  the 
begmning  of  the  world  until  now,  no,  nor  ever  shall  be. 

The  sense  is  :  The  miseries  which  are  approaching  will 
justify  you  in  encountering  the  greatest  perils  in  effect- 
ing your  escape.  These  unexpected  disclosures  of  the 
future  trials  of  Jews  and  Christians,  as  connected  with 
the  fall  of  the  city,  doubtless  produced  a  marked  move- 
ment among  the  disciples.  They  are  deeply  distressed, 
but  have  reached  a  period  when,  in  the  Lord's  view,  it  is 
essential  that  they  should  be  prepared  by  Him  for  person- 
ally encountering  danger  in  any  form  without  timidity  or 
hopelessness.  Hence  He  here  reasserts  in  proverbial 
terms  which  refer  to  extraordinary  calamities  (see  Exod. 
10:14;  11:6;  Joel  2  :  2),  that  all  these  things  will  come 
to  pass,  and  even  exceed  in  severity  all  other  known 
calamities,  referring  with  emphasis  to  the  words  in  Dan. 
12  :  I.  The  allusion  doubtless  is  to  the  appalling  events 
which  preceded  and  followed  the  capture  of  Jerusalem  ; 
this  city  was  crowded  at  the  time  by  Jews  from  a  distance 
who  had  assembled  to  keep  the  passover  (Jos.  War,  6, 
9,  3  and  4).  The  "  great  distress"  mentioned  in  Luke 
21  :  23,  24:  the  murders  (large  fires  quenched  by  the 
flowing  streams  of  blood,  Jos.  War,  6,  8,  5);  the  famine 


XXIV.  22.]  CHAPTER  XXIV.  24 1 

and  the  enormous  crimes  which  it  engendered  (a  mother, 
named  Mary,  for  instance,  kilHng  her  babe,  roasting  and 
eating  one  half  of  the  body,  Jos.  War,  6,  3,  4) ;  the  cruci- 
fixion of  so  many  hundreds  of  Jewish  prisoners  "  that 
room  was  wanting  for  the  crosses,  and  crosses  wanting 
for  the  bodies"  (Jos.  War,  5,  11,  i);  the  slaughter  of 
more  than  a  million  of  Jews  ("  eleven  hundred  thousand 
perished  during  the  whole  siege,"  besides  ninety-seven 
thousand  who  were  led  into  captivity  (Jos.  War,  6,  9,  3), 
— these  were  indeed  events  to  which  no  former  age,  and 
none  that  succeeded,  can  afford  a  parallel ;  the  Lord's 
prophetic  view  of  them  moved  Him  to  tears  (Luke  19  : 
41);  additional  remarks  on  the  same  event  are  found  in 
Luke  21  :  24. 

"  And  except  those  days  had  been  shortened,  no  flesh  would  have  been 
saved;  but  for  the  elect's  sake  those  days  shall  be  shortened. 

A.  Except  (lit.  if— not)  .  .  .  saved=if  the  Lord  (Mark 
13  :  20)  had  not  in  His  infinite  compassion  determined  to 
arrest  the  course  of  these  calamities,  and  restrain  the 
passions  of  cruel  and  wicked  men,  no  flesh  {=no  mortal, 
as  in  Jer.  12:12;  Rom.  3:20;  i  Cor.  1:29)  could  be 
saved  {^escape  bodily  death,  as  in  8  :  25  ;  14:  30) — death, 
in  the  form  of  pestilence  or  famine,  in  addition  to  the 
sword,  would  rage  till  all  had  perished  (comp.  Gen.  6 : 
13)- — Shortened=diminished  in  number.  The  siege  and 
capture  of  Jerusalem  occupied  a  m.uch  shorter  time  than 
Titus  had  expected.  The  former  commenced  early  in 
the  spring  of  A.  D.  70  ;  the  latter  occurred  five  months 
afterwards,  early  in  the  autumn  of  the  same  year. — B. 
But  .  .  .  elect's  sake,  etc.  For  elect,  see  20:  16,  B.  The 
sense  is:  God  will  not  permit  these  calamities  to  prevail 
so  long  that  they  shall  overwhelm  and  destroy  His  own 
believing  people,  the  Christians.  "  He  knoweth  them 
that  trust  in  him  "  (Nahum  i  :  7  ;  2  Tim.  2  :  19).  These 
16 


242  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.       [xxiv.  23,  24. 

words,  which  refer  to  the  overruling  providence  of  God, 
are  designed  to  soothe  and  encourage  the  disciples  and 
all  afflicted  believers  ;  the  latter,  by  their  presence,  their 
faith,  and  their  prayers,  prove  to  be  a  protection  even  to 
the   unrighteous  (comp.   Gen.    18  :  26  ;  Acts  27  :  24,    34, 

44)- 

-5,  ^*  Then  if  any  man  shall  say  unto  you,  Lo,  here  is  the  Christ,  or,  Here  ; 
believe  //  not.  For  there  shall  arise  false  Christs,  and  false  prophets,  and 
shall  shew  great  signs  and  wonders;  so  as  to  lead  astray,  if  possible,  even 
the  elect. 

A.  Then-=duringthe  period  described  in  the  foregoing 
words.  The  writings  of  the  apostles  and  the  history  of 
primitive  Christianity  show  that  few  dangers  were  more 
insidious  and  formidable  than  those  with  which  false 
teachers  and  religious  pretenders  of  all  kinds  threatened 
the  Church.  The  Lord  had  uttered  similar  warnings  at 
the  commencement  of  His  ministry  (7  :  15);  He  repeats 
them  above  (ver.  4,  5,  11);  here  He  specially  refers  to 
those  impostors  who  shall  assume  the  name  of  Christy- 
Messiah  ;  Christ,  lit.  the  Christ,  as  in  ver.  5. — B.  Great 
signs  and  wonders.  Josephus  remarks  that  before  the 
fall  of  the  city  there  was  "a  body  of  wicked  men — not 
so  impure  in  their  actions,  but  more  wicked  in  their  in- 
tentions— who  deceived  and  deluded  the  people  under 
pretence  of  divine  inspiration,  etc."  (War,  2,  13,  4). 
"  They  pretended  that  they  would  exhibit  manifest 
wonders  and  signs  "  (Ant.  20, 8,6).  This  prophecy  of  the 
Saviour  and  the  later  history  of  the  Jewish  writer  precisely 
agree.  The  signs  and  wonders  which  these  false  Christs 
and  prophets  promised  or  pretended  to  perform  were 
"  lying  wonders"  such  as  Paul  mentions  (2  Thess.  2  :  9), 
and,  like  every  ungodly  thing,  Avcre  "  after  the  working 
of  Satan." — C.  If  it  were  possible.  The  original  phrase 
is  simply  :   if  possible,  and  docs  not  deny  the   possibility 


XXIV.  25,  26.]  CHAPTER  XXIV.  243 

of  the  fall  of  the  elect  (mentioned  in  ver.  22,  above),  as 
the  English  version  seems  to  do  by  the  unnecessary  in- 
sertion of  the  italicized  words  it  were.  So,  too,  in  26  : 
39,  the  Lord  evidently  does  not  pray  for  an  acknowledged 
impossibility.  Precisely  the  same  two  Greek  words  again 
occur  in  Acts  20  :  16;  Rom.  12  :  18  ;  Gal.  4  :  15  ;  in  the 
first  two  of  these  passages  a  possibility  may  exist ;  in  the 
last  one  it  is,  for  the  sake  of  argument,  assumed  to  exist. 
While  the  word  if  frequently  introduces  a  doubt,  it  also 
frequently  indicates  that  a  particular  circumstance  may 
easily  occur  or  really  does  exist,  as  in  5  •  -9^  ^  •  3o;  7  • 
11;  12:28.  Accordingly,  the  Lord  here  by  no  means 
teaches  that  the  elect,  or  indeed  any  human  beings,  are 
infallible,  or  incapable  of  being  deceived  or  of  falling, 
and  that  hence  they  no  longer  needed  the  prayer:  Lead 
us  not  into  temptation  (Ezek.  18  :  24;  Matt.  26  :  41  ;  i 
Cor.  10  :  12;  Phil.  3  :  12).  The  sense  of  the  words  is  very 
clearly  given  by  one  of  the  four  disciples  to  whom  they 
were  spoken  (Prel.  Obs.  F.  §  4,  above).  He  addresses 
those  who  had  obtained  "like  precious  faith"  with  him, 
that  is,  the  "  elect  "  (i  Peter  1:1,2,  comp.  with  2  Peter  i  : 
i),  in  the  following  manner:  "Beware  lest  ye  also,  being 
led  away  with  the  error  of  the  wicked,  fall  from  your  own 
steadfastness"  (2  Peter  3  :  17).  The  Lord's  words: 
"  What  I  say  unto  you,  I  say  unto  all.  Watch  "  (Mark 
13  :  37),  are  repeated  continually  to  each  individual  until 
his  race  on  earth  is  fully  run. 

^'  Behold,  I  have  told  you  beforehand. 

Behold  .  .  .  before=so  that,  when  all  shall  come  to 
pass,  your  faith  may  not  waver,  but  rather  be  confirmed 
by  such  evidence  of  My  divine  foreknowledge  (John 
13  :  19;   14  :  29). 

-*  If  therefore  they  shall  say  unto  you.  Behold,  he  is  in  the  wilderness  ;  go 
not  forth  :  behold,  he  is  in  the  inner  chambers ;  believe  it  not. 


2  44  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxiv.  27. 

A.  Wherefore=as  the  lesson  to  be  deduced  from  these 
warnings,  if  they,  etc. — B.  If  they=indefinitely,  any 
agents  or  bhnd  adherents  of  these  impostors. — C.  Behold 
he  {==CJirist,  as  in  ver.  23)  is,  etc.  Some  of  the  impostors 
and  false  Christs  would  secure  a  retreat  in  the  desert,  and 
thither  call  their  deluded  followers;  others,  who  still 
abode  in  the  city,  before  its  fall,  would  either  affect  a 
mysterious  air,  or  conceal  their  pretensions  from  the  public 
view,  and  secretly  gather  disciples  (^secret  chambers, 
a  term  indicating  privacy,  mystery  ;  for  the  word,  see  6  : 
6,  B.). — Chainbers=some  one  of  several  (21  :  5,  F.). 
Whatever  character  the  impostor  might  assume,  he  was 
not  tlic  Christ  whom  the  disciples  had  known,  and  must 
be  instantly  and  unhesitatingly  disowned. 

^'  For  as  the  lightning  conieth  forth  from  the  east,  and  is  seen  even  unto 
the  west :  so  shall  be  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  man. 

A,  After  the  Lord  had  reached  this  point,  and 
described  the  signs  that  would  indicate  the  near  approach 
of  the  destruction  of  the  city.  He  again  refers  to  the 
questions  in  ver.  3,  which  seemed  to  imply  that  His  last 
coming  at  the  end  of  the  world  would  occur  at  the  same 
time.  Mark  omits  here  a  portion  of  the  Lord's  words  ; 
the  conversation  is  probably  resumed,  and  Matthew,  in 
ver.  27-31,  gives  the  substance  of  the  reply  addressed  to 
the  disciples.  Christ  nozv  shows  that  the  end  of  the  world 
would  be  introduced  by  signs  and  attended  by  circum- 
stances of  a  character  entirely  different  from  those  which 
He  had  just  described  in  ver.  1 5-26.  As  these  events  still 
belong  to  the  future,  and  we  have  no  other  precise  and 
definite  revelations  of  them,  they,  like  in  all  unfulfilled 
prophecies,  are  so  veiled  that  no  interpreter  can  furnish 
a  full  and  particular  explanation  (ver.  29,  A.). — For.  This 
word  generally  introduces  a  reason  which  is  given  for 
words  previously  uttered.     We   may  suppose  either  that 


XXIV.  28.]  CHAPTER  XXIV.  245 

words  like  those  in  ver.  6,  "  the  end  (of  the  world)  is  not 
yet,"  had  been  repeated,  or  that  the  Lord  had  said  that 
new  and  peculiar  signs  would  announce  His  coming, 
which  He  now  proceeds  to  describe,  "  for,"  continued  He, 
"as the  lightning,  etc." — B.  As  the  lightning,  etc.  Two 
features  of  the  lightning  are  here  indicated  :  first,  its 
celerity,  suddenness  or  unexpectedness  (whence  it  is  fre- 
quently used  as  an  image  of  unlooked-for  events)  ;  and, 
secondly,  its  conspicuousness,  distinctness,  or  the  widely 
extended  space  in  which  it  is  seen  ("  east  .  .  .  west,"  as  in 
Job  37  :  3),  on  which  account  it  is  at  once  distinguished 
by  all  from  any  other  luminous  appearance.— So  shall, 
etc.=so,  too,  when  I,  the  Son  of  man  (8  :  20,  B.),  shall 
come  the  second  time  (10  :  23,  B.),  in  order  to  judge  the 
world,  that  event  will  be  both  unexpected  ("  as  a  thief  in 
the  night,"  2  Peter  3  :  ro  and  ver.  43,  below),  and  also  will 
be  marked  by  such  divine  glory  (2  Thess.  i  :  7,  8),  that 
all  the  world  ("  east  .  .  .  west  ")  shall  be  able  to  distin- 
guish it  unerringly  from  the  appearance  of  any  pretender 
or  false  Christ  (Rev.  1:7;  comp.  Luke  17  :  24,  and  see 
Prel.  Obs.  G.). 

^^  Wheresoever  the  carcass  is,  there  will  the  eagles  be  gathered  together. 

That  is :  The  well-known  proverb  which  implies  that 
certain  operating  causes  inevitably  produce  certain 
results  (the  carcass  *  inevitably  attracting  the  birds  of 
prey  that  are  still  unseen)  is  here  applicable  :  the  con- 
fusion in  the  world,  the  sins  of  men,  the  interpositions  of 
divine  grace,  and  the  whole  course  of  events  from  the  fall 
of  Adam  to  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  for  a  witness 
unto  all  nations  (ver.  14),  necessarily  call  for  an  ultimate 
divine  adjustment,  a  retribution,  a  divinely  arranged  new 
order  of  things  (comp.  Rom.  2:5-10;  2  Thess.  i  :6-io; 
Rev.  21  :  I,  5).     The  proverb  here  quoted  (which  was  not 


246  THE  GOSPEL  OE  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxiv.  28. 

unknown  toother  ancient  nations)  was  current  among  the 
Jews,  and  is  found  in  substance  in  Job  39  :  30:  "  Where 
the  slain  are,  there  is  she  (the  eagle)  "  (see  7  :  6,  A.) ;  the 
same  image  is  introduced  in  Deut.  28  :  49.  The  original 
name,  however,  and  particularly  the  corresponding  Hebrew 
word,  embraces  also,  in  a  broader  acceptation  than  the 
modern  word,  a  species  of  vulture  {iniltiir  pci'enoptcriis)  in 
some  respects  resembling  the  eagle  ;  it  has  part  of  the 
head  denuded  of  feathers,  to  which  feature  there  is  an 
evident  allusion  in  Micah  i  :  16,  where  the  name  is  trans- 
lated eagle,  as  well  as  in  Job  9  :  26  ;  Hos.  8:1;  Hab.  1:8; 
in  all  these  cases  the  allusion  doubtless  is  to  a  vulture. 
The  latter  prefers  carrion  ("  carcass,"  Prov.  30  :  17),  while 
the  eagle,  as  it  is  well  known,  prefers  to  seize  its  prey 
alive  ;  besides,  while  vultures  were  numerous  in  Palestine, 
the  eagle  was  less  frequently  seen.  The  text  cannot 
therefore  refer,  as  it  is  supposed  by  some,  to  the  Roman 
eagles  (described  above,  ver.  15,  B.),  implying  that  Jeru- 
salem or  Judaea  is  the  carcass  ;  still  less,  as  others  believe, 
can  the  eagles  be  images  of  destroying  angels  (the  carcass 
representing  the  spiritually  dead) ;  least  of  all  can  they,  as 
others,  again,  have  assumed,  represent  the  assembly  of 
believers  surrounding  the  crucified  and  risen  Redeemer 
as  the  carcass.  Oriental  travellers  have  observed  that  a 
carcass  lies  undisturbed  for  a  season,  and,  nevertheless,  in 
a  very  brief  space  of  time,  vultures  which  have  perceived 
it  at  an  immense  distance  dart  in  large  numbers  suddenly 
from  the  air  upon  it.  The  sense  then  is  :  As  a  carcass 
will  inevitably  attract  vultures,  although  none  may  yet 
be  visible,  so  the  mixture  of  good  and  evil  in  the  world 
will  surely  lead  to  a  divine  interposition  ultimately,  even 
though  men  in  their  false  security  may  entertain  no  ap- 
prehensions (2  Peter  3  :  3,4).  The  Son  of  man  will  come 
and  judge  the  whole  race,  whose  habitation,  the  earth, 


XXIV.  29-]  CHAPTER  XXIV.  24^ 

will  then  pass  away.     The   same  words  occur   in   Luke 
17:37- 

^'  But  immediately,  after  the  tribulation  of  those  days  the  sun  shall  be 
darkened,  and  the  moon  shall  not  give  her  light,  and  the  stars  shall  fall  from 
heaven,  and  tlie  powers  of  the  heavens  shall  be  shaken  : 

A.  Immediately  .  .  .  days.  The  remark  made  above 
(ver.  27,  A.),  that  no  interpretation  of  these  prophecies 
can  possibly  furnish  reliable  details  beyond  the  words  of 
the  text,  applies  here  with  peculiar  force.  Those  days 
embrace  the  period  preceding  the  Lord's  coming  to  judg- 
ment. During  this  time  intervening  between  the  first 
indications  of  the  Lord's  coming  and  the  actual  advent, 
tribulation  (for  which  word  see  above,  13  :  20,  21)  will  be 
endured,  but  this  transition  period  will  not  be  of  long 
continuance  ("  immediately  after  ") ;  with  this  interpreta- 
tion the  words  "in  those  days  "  in  Mark  13:24  fully 
concur.  The  pause  which  is  usually  made  here  by  inter- 
preters does  not  appear  to  be  sustained  by  any  solid 
ai"guments.  The  Greek  words  for  "  immediately  after," 
which  cannot  possibly  admit  of  any  essentially  different 
translation,  necessarily  imply  a  very  brief  interval,  and 
cannot  comprehend  the  many  centuries  intervening 
between  the  fall  of  the  city  and  the  end  of  the  world  ; 
hence,  the  events  of  this  verse  are  very  closely  connected 
with  the  foregoing  in  ver.  27,  28.  In  the  present  verse 
the /«^/ coming  of  the  Lord  is  meant ;  that  event  must 
also  be  meant  in  ver.  27. — B.  The  sun  .  .  .  from 
heaven.  Similar  language  occurs  frequently  in  the  O. 
T.,  as  in  Isai.  13:10;  34:4;  Ezek.  32:7;  Joel  2:30; 
Hagg.  2  : 6,  referring  to  great  and  striking  events,  some 
of  which  are  intimately  connected  with  Gospel  times. 
Here,  however,  there  is  a  distinct  reference  to  great  and 
visible  changes  in  the  appearance  of  the  heavenly  bodies, 
which  may  possibly  be  the  beginning  of  that  dissolution 


248  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxiv.  30. 

of  all  things  revealed  in  2  Peter  3:10,  1 1.  As  in  ver.  7,  so 
the  words  here  employed  are  not  mere  figures  of  speech, 
but  are  to  be  literally  understood. — The  stars  shall  fall. 
It  is  not  said  that  they  ■&\\2\\  fall  on  the  eartJi;  they  shall 
fail,  pass  away,  as  the  original  word  found  here  is  ren- 
dered in  Luke  16  :  17  ;  in  this  sense,  too,  it  is  applied  to 
Babylon  in  Rev.  14:8;  18:2,  "is  fallen." — C.  And  the 
powers,  etc.  As  these  powers  are  here  disthiguishcd 
f'oin  the  sun,  moon  and  stars  (sometimes  called  the  host 
of  heaven  {Vs.  T)Tf:6;  Isai.  34:4),  they  possibly  refer  to 
the  intelligent  heavenly  "hosts"  or  the  angels  (i  Kings 
22:  19;  Ps.  103:21  ;  148:2),  who  also  appear  to  be  the 
"  powers  "  mentioned  in  Rom.  8:38:  i  Peter  3  :  22  ;  Col. 
I  :  16,  comp.  with  Eph.  i  :2i,  and  are  called  "angels  of 
power"  in  2  Thess.  1:7  in  the  original.  They  are 
shak.&n^=roused,  deeply  interested  in  the  solemn  scenes, 
without  the  accompanying  "  trouble  "  of  the  Thessalonians 
(2  Thess.  2  :  2);  the  word  originally  describes  the  oscillat- 
ing movements  of  a  vessel  occasioned  by  the  action  of  the 
waves.  The  angels  had  previously  been  interested  in 
the  divine  plan  of  salvation  ( I  Peter  i  :  12),  and  rejoice  both 
at  the  Saviour's  birth  (Luke  2:13,  14),  and  also  when 
they  perceive  that  His  saving  grace  influences  the  sinner 
(Luke  15  :  10);  they  will  themselves  be  actively  employed 
in  these  solemn  scenes  (ver.  31). 

'°  And  then  shall  appear  the  sign  of  the  Son  of  man  in  heaven  :  and  then 
sluiU  all  the  tribes  of  the  earth  mourn,  and  they  shall  see  the  Son  of  man 
coming  on  the  clouds  of  heaven  with  power  and  great  glory. 

A.  And  then.  The  length  of  the  several  divisions  of 
time  here  respectively  indicated  is  not  revealed  (ver.  14, 
F.). — B.  The  sign  of  the  Son  of  man.  The  nature  of  this 
sign  (different  from  the  one  mentioned  in  12:39,  C),  the 
Lord  has  not  described  ;  it  is  sufficient  for  us  to  know- 
that  when  it  shall  appear,  it  will  be  so   distinct  and  intel- 


XXIV.  30.]  CHAPTER  XXIV.  249 

ligible,  that,  like  the  signs  of  the  manger  (Luke  2  :  12)  and 
the  star  (Matt.  2:2,7,  9),  on  previous  occasions,  none 
can  mistake  its  meaning.  It  may  consist  in  the  whole 
character  of  these  events,  their  suddenness,  grandeur  or 
visible  and  direct  heavenly  origin,  as  Luke  (21  -.25)  seems 
to  imply ;  it  may  be  a  celestial  light  like  that  which 
"  suddenly  shined  round  about "  Paul  on  the  road  to 
Damascus  (Acts  9 :  3),— a  sign  that  would  be  the  more 
distinct  in  consequence  of  the  darkness  which,  according 
to  ver.  29,  precedes  it.  Or,  in  reference  to  Dan.  7:  13, 
and  the  repeated  introduction  of  the  remarkable  name 
Son  of  man  (see  above,  ver.  27,  B.),  the  sign  may  consist 
in  the  new  appearance  of  the  God-Man  Jesus  Christ  in 
His  human  nature,  yet  invested  with  all  divine  glory,  such 
as  was  temporarily  revealed  at  His  Transfiguration  (see 
ann.  to  17:2). — C.  And  then  .  .  .  mourn  (comp.  Zech. 
12:10-12;  Rev.  I  :  7).  At  that  time  men  will  be  found  in 
all  parts  of  the  world  who  will  either  mourn  as  penitent 
sinners,  or  mourn  that  they  did  not  "  obey  the  Gospel," 
and  now  are  to  be  "  punished,  etc."  (2  Thess.  i  :  8,  9); — 
mourn  =/^ftt'rtz7.  The  same  word  occurs  in  11:17. — D. 
And  they  shall  see,  etc.=all  shall  have  abundant  evidence 
of  the  presence  and  power  of  the  Judge  (Dan.  7:  13). 
The  clouds,  doubtless,  like  the  "bright  cloud  "  mentioned 
in  17:5,  are  to  be  understood  as  brilliant  masses  of 
celestial  light  (comp.  Acts  i:ii;  Exod.  16:10).  The 
power  and  great  glory  of  the  Son  of  man  will  be  demon- 
strated, first,  by  the  attendance  and  adoration  of  "  his 
mighty  angels  "  (2  Thess.  i  :  7),  who,  while  they  "  excel 
in  strength  '  (Ps.  103:20.  21),  declare  by  their  prompt 
obedience  the  greatness  of  Him  to  do  whose  pleasure  is 
the  great  purpose  of  their  existence ;  and,  secondly,  by 
His  wonderful  works,  the  raising  of  the  dead,  etc.  (John 
5:25;  see  26  :  64,  D.). 


2SO  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.         [xxiv.  31,  32. 

3'  And  he  shall  send  forth  his  angels  with  a  great  sound  of  a  trumpet,  and 
they  shall  gather  together  his  elect  from  the  four  winds,  from  one  end  of 
heaven  to  the  other. 

A.  And  .  .  .  angels  (see  13  :  39,  C).  When  the  Lord 
afterwards  (25  :  31),  at  the  conclusion  of  the  discourse, 
resumes  the  subject  of  the  General  Judgment,  the 
presence  of  the  angels  is  again  mentioned. — B.  With 
.  .  .  trumpet.  When  God  came  down  upon  Mount 
Sinai,  one  of  the  wonders  that  announced  His  presence 
consisted  in  sounds  like  "  the  voice  of  the  trumpet 
exceeding  loud  "  (Exod.  19  :  16).  Similar  voices,  loud  as 
trumpets  (sound,  lit.  voice),  will  not  only  proclaim  the 
presence  of  the  Judge,  but  also  announce  the  actual 
resurrection  of  the  dead,  according  to  revelations  given, 
after  these  words  of  Christ  had  been  spoken,  in  i  Cor. 
15  :  52;  I  Thess.  4  :  16. — C.  Gather  the  elect.  For  the 
elect,  see  above,  20  :  16,  B.  "  The  dead  in  Christ  " — they 
that  are  Christ's — "shall  rise  first"  (i  Cor.  15:23; 
I  Thess,  4  :  16),  and  then  also  "  they  that  have  done 
evil  "  (John  5  :  29). — D.  From  the  four,  etc.  (see  Mark 
13  :  27,  and  comp.  Deut.  4  :  32  ;  13:7;  i  Chron.  9  :  24 ; 
Rev.  7:1).  All  the  terms  in  these  passages  are  equiv- 
alent to  the  phrase  :  "  all  parts  of  the  earth,"  or,  "  from 
every  direction,"  "  from  every  point  of  the  compass." 
The  language,,  as  in  Deut.  30  :  4  ;  2  Sam.  22  :  8,  is  sug- 
gested by  the  appearance  in  nature,  according  to  which 
the  sky  (heaven)  seems  at  a  vast  distance  from  the  spec- 
tator, or  at  the  horizon  or  boundary  of  vision,  to  rest  on 
the  earth  at  points  where  the  ends  of  both  appear  to 
meet. 

'^  Now  from  the  fig  tree  learn  her  parable ;  When  her  branch  is  now 
become  tender,  and  putteth  forth  its  leaves,  ye  know  that  the  summer  is 
nigh: 

A.     Now  learn.     The   word   translated  Nozv  is  simply 


XXIV.  33-]  CHAPTER  XXIV.  25 1 

the  connective  often  rendered  and  or  /;///,  as  in  ver.  19, 
36,  or  altogether  omitted,  as  in  ver.  29  at  the  beginning. 
The  Lord  here  makes  a  pause  in  His  discourse  ;  this 
pause  is  distinctly  marked  in  Luke  21  :  29,  where  a  new 
division  of  the  discourse  is  announced  by  the  words  : 
"  And  he  spake  to  them  a  parable."  The  Lord  had 
probably  been  interrupted  by  an  exclamation  or  question 
of  the  disciples  ;  He  answers  by  reminding  them  that 
they  have  now  had  sufificiently  full  revelations  of  the  two 
events  which  so  deeply  interested  them,  and  that  He  ex- 
pects them  to  meditate,  and,  by  watching  the  course  of 
Providence,  to  know  (^to  discern  "  of  their  own  selves," 
Luke  21  :  30)  the  respective  "  signs  of  the  times"  (Matt. 
16:  3). — B.  A  parable.  The  sense  is  :  The  illustration  of 
these  things  is  furnished  by  the  fig  tree  ;  even  as  it  affords 
indications  of  the  changes  of  the  seasons,  so  the  events 
already  mentioned  (ver.  4-13  ;  15-26)  will  be  suf^ciently 
clear  indications  of  the  downfall  of  the  city. — C.  Branch 
.  •  .  tender=when  the  sap  has  risen,  and  the  branch, 
after  being  dry  and  rigid  in  the  winter,  becomes  moist 
and  soft.  For  fig  tree,  see  21  :  19,  A, — D.  Summer. 
This  season,  extending  in  that  region  from  April  to 
October,  was  characterized  by  the  absence  of  rain  ;  the 
appearance  of  the  latter  during  that  period  is  described 
as  miraculous  in  i  Sam.  12  :  17,  18.  During  this  season 
the  wheat  harvest  occurred,  for  which  important  event 
preparations  were  made  when  the  leaves  of  the  fig  tree 
began  to  appear  (comp.  Prov.  6  :  8),  when  summer  and 
harvest  are  viewed  as  nearly  coincident. 

3'  Even  so  ye  also,  when  ye  see  all  these  things,  know  ye  that  he  is  nigh, 
even  at  the  doors. 

A.     All    these    things=the    signs  of    the  approaching 
fall   of  the  city,  as  mentioned   in   ver.   32,  B. — B.     It   is 


252  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxtt.  33. 

near.  What  is  near?  As  no  nominative  or  subject  of 
the  verb  is  occurs  in  the  original,  the  translators  suggest 
in  the  margin  he  for  it  (see  Introd.  §  6),  but  the  parallel 
passage,  Luke  21  :  31,  contains  the  direct  answer:  ''the 
kingdom  of  God"'  is  near.  This  phrase  (comp.  EXCURSUS 
I.  vol.  I.  p.  379)  indicates  fundamentally  communion  with 
God,  a  more  or  less  perfect  recognition  of  His  glory 
by  His  creatures,  and  their  own  consequent  happiness. 
Now  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  and  its  temple  exer- 
cised an  incalculably  great  influence  not  only  on  the 
spirit  and  character  of  the  Christian  Church,  but  also  on 
its  external  growth  or  expansion.  All  the  bonds  that 
had  hitherto  connected  believing  Jews  with  the  ancient 
religion  (visits  to  the  temple,  observance  of  Jewish  cere- 
monies, etc..  Acts,  ch.  15  ;  18  :  18  ;  21  :  21-26)  were  dis- 
solved when  the  temple  service  with  its  sacrifices,  etc., 
ceased,  and  when  this  awful  evidence  of  the  divine  rejec- 
tion of  those  who  had  slain  the  Lord  Jesus  had  been 
given.  The  Church  of  Christ,  viewed  as  a  more  fully 
revealed  form  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  emerged  from  the 
ruin  of  the  nation  as  an  independent  and  new  organiza- 
tion, with  a  life,  a  power  and  a  spirit  of  its  own,  and 
with  a  worship  and  a  law  totally  distinct  from  those  of 
the  old  religion.  Then,  as  never  before,  the  prophetic 
words  of  the  Saviour  addressed  to  the  Samaritan  woman 
(John  4  :  21-24)  began  to  be  fulfilled,  and  a  more  widely- 
extended  development  or  manifestation  of  the  spirit  of 
the  Christian  Church  as  distinct  from  Judaism,  together 
with  more  freedom  in  its  movements,  commenced.  In 
such  a  sense  the  fall  of  Jerusalem  was  an  impressive 
token  or  sign  that  the  manifestation  of  "  the  kingdom  of 
God  "  in  its  proper  Christian  form  was  near,  even  at  the 
doors.  The  latter  phrase  indicates  the  very  closest  prox- 
imity (James  5  :  9).     Hence,  as  the  fig  leaves  (ver.  32,  D.) 


XXIV.  34-]  CHAPTER  XXIV.  253 

announced  the  gathering  of  the  grain,  so  the  fall  of  the 
city  announced  a  gathering  of  people,  a  harvest  for  the 
Church  among  Jews  and  Gentiles  immeasurably  greater 
than  any  accessions  which  it  had  previously  received. 
Of  the  history  of  the  Church  during  the  period  in  ques- 
tion, extending  from  A.  D.  70  (when  Jerusalem  fell)  to 
A.  D.  100,  the  notices  or  records  that  are  extant  are  very 
scanty  ;  one  well-known  fact,  however,  sheds  a  flood  of 
light  '  upon  it.  Pliny,  the  governor  of  Bithynia  and 
Pontus  in  Asia  Minor  (Acts  16  :  7  ;  i  Peter  i  :  i),  wrote 
a  letter  to  the  Emperor  Trajan  in  A.  D.  107,  about  37 
years  after  the  fall  of  the  city,  which  presents  the  follow- 
ing facts  : — In  that  remote  region,  on  the  south  of  the 
Black  Sea,  nearly  the  whole  population  had  been  con- 
verted to  Christianity  ;  the  heathen  temples  had  been 
almost  forsaken,  the  pagan  religious  rites  had  generally 
ceased,  etc.  The  facts  show  that  a  powerful  impulse  was 
given  to  the  Church  by  the  great  catastrophe  to  which 
the  Lord  here  refers. 

^*  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  This  generation  shall  not  pass  away,  till  all 
these  things  be  accomplished. 

This  generation,  etc.  (see  above,  23  :  35,  B.).  The 
word  here,  like  the  corresponding  Hebrew  term  in  Numb. 
32  :  13,  evidently  refers  to  persons  then  living,  contem- 
poraries, as  above,  ii  :  16,  A.  ;  12  :  39;  16  :  4;  17  :  17, 
and  in  Acts  2:40;  13:36;  Hebr.  3:  10;  contempo- 
raneous existence  is  meant  in  such  cases.  A  generation 
was  reckoned,  after  the  era  of  Moses,  at  30  or  40  years 
(see  Deut.  i  :  35  ;  2  :  14).  The  destruction  of  Jerusalem 
occurred  about  40  years  after  these  words  were  spoken. 
— All  these  things,  as  in  ver.  6,  above=that  are  mentioned 
as  signs  of  the  approaching  ruin  of  the  city. — ^aAs=pass. 
away,  as  the  same  word  is  rendered  in  the  next  verse,  and 
in  James  i  :  10  (see  5  :  18,  C). 


254  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.       [xxiv.  35,  36, 

3'  Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away,  but  my  words  shall  not  pass  away. 

To  this  event — ^the  passing  away  of  the  present  visible 

creation — mentioned    in    Ps.    102:25,    26;     Isai.    51  :  6  ; 

2    Peter   3  :  10,   12,  the    Lord  had  already  prophetically 

referred  in   5  :  18.     The  sense  here  is:  You  cannot  rely 

on  the  stability  of    any  visible  object,    for  all  that   you 

behold  above,  around  or  beneath  you  is  transitory ;   but 

My  words  shall  not  come  to  nought  ;  they  are  reliable= 

on  their    fulfilment    you    can    confidently  rely.     This   is 

language    which   no  creature  could   presume    to  employ 

("  my  words  ") ;  it  is  here  uttered  by  God  the  Son. 

'*Butof  that  day  and  hour  knoweth  no  one,  not  even  the  angels  of 
heaven,  neither  the  Son,  but  the  Father  only. 

A.  When  the  conversation  of  the  four  disciples  and 
their  Master  had  reached  this  point,  the  former  appear  to 
have  refrained  from  further  interruptions  of  the  Lord's 
discourse.  As  in  Mark  9  :  32  ;  Luke  9  :  45,  the  disciples, 
although  perplexed  and  distressed  by  certain  mysterious 
words  of  Christ  which  they  long  could  not  understand 
(Luke  18  :  34),  nevertheless  "  feared  to  ask  "  for  more  pre- 
cise explanations  ;  so  here,  too,  they  appear  to  be  troubled 
in  spirit,  but  do  not  venture  to  interpose  new  questions. 
This  new  division  in  the  discourse  is  distinctly  seen  both 
in  Mark  (ch.  13  :  32),  who  here,  after  adding  a  short  sum- 
mary, discontinues  his  report,  and  also  in  Luke  (ch. 
21  :  33),  who  adopts  the  same  course  ;  both  leave  to  Mat- 
thew the  task  of  reporting  in  full  the  discourse  y>cw  tJiis 
point.  The  Lord  proceeds  to  speak  uninterruptedly,  as 
it  seems,  to  the  close  of  the  next  chapter,  on  a  new  sub- 
ject, namely,  the  personal  application  of  the  great  truths 
Avhich  He  had  so  far  revealed.  He  designs  to  give  a  prac- 
tical character  to  His  predictions  by  introducing  the  fol- 
lowing solemn  lesson  : — While  the  events  already  foretold 
are  in  themselves  of  v^ast   importance,  yet  in   the  case  of 


XXIV.  37]  CHAPTER  XXIV.  255 

each  individual,  whether  he  dies  in  one  century  or  in 
another,  the  hour  of  his  death,  after  which  he  can  no 
longer  work  out  his  salvation  (John  9:4;  Phil.  2  :  12),  is 
really  equivalent  to  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  man  to 
judgment,  inasmuch  as  his  own  future  and  eternal  lot  is 
at  that  moment  virtually  decided.  This  impressive  doc- 
trine is  unfolded  in  ver.  36-41,  and  then  affectingly  illus- 
trated and  applied  in  the  remaining  portion  of  the  dis- 
course.— B.  But  .  .  .  hour  (see  above,  Prel.  Obs.  D.). 
The  Lord,  well  understanding  the  anxious  looks  of  His 
disciples,  nevertheless  absolutely  withholds  from  them 
the  knowledge  of  the  precise  time  (day  and  hour)  of  the 
actual  end  of  the  world.  His  words,  which  may  be 
translated  :  "  Concerning  that  day,  etc.,"  and  which  point 
back  to  ver.  30,  clearly  show  that  we  have  here  a  transi- 
tion to  another  subject,  entirely  distinct  from  "  these 
things  "  which  that  generation  will  live  to  see  (ver.  34). 
That  day,  as  in  7  :  22,  C,  and  2  Tim.  i  :  12,  18  ;  4  ;  8,  is  the 
"  day  of  the  Lord  "  or  "  end  "  mentioned  in  ver.  14,  and 
in  2  Peter  3  :  10;  i  Thess.  5  :  2.  So,  frequently,  the 
words  that,  those,  used,  as  here,  in  opposition  to  this, 
these,  refer  to  a  more  remote  subject  previously  men- 
tioned;  in  Luke  18  :  14,  that  one  (translated  "  the  other") 
is  the  Pharisee  mentioned  in  a  former  verse.  In  Mark 
16  :  20,  those  (translated  "they")  are  the  disciples  men- 
tioned in  a  foregoing  verse. — C.  Knoweth  no  man,  etc.= 
it  is  not  a  subject  which  a  creature  ought  to  know  or  can 
endure  to  know  (comp.  Acts  i  :  7) ; — Not  the  angels.  Mark 
adds  (13  :  32):  "neither  the  Son"  (see  Prel.  Obs.  D.). — 
But  .  .  .  onIy="  such  knowledge  is  too  wonderful  "  for 
man  (Ps.  139  :  6),  it  can  be  grasped  by  the  Divine  Mind 
alone. 

'^  And  as  were  the  days  of  Noah,  so  shall  be  the  coming  of  the  Son  of 
man. 


256  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxiv.  38. 

But  as,  etc.^as  men  in  the  days  of  Noah  (when  he 
proclaimed  the  approaching  judgment,  2  Peter  2  :  5) 
despised  the  divine  warnings,  and  paid  no  attention  to  the 
revelation  of  the  precise  time  when  the  deluge  would  occur 
(in  120  years,  Gen.  6  :  3),  and  perished  in  their  sins,  so, 
even  if  the  Lord  would  reveal  the  precise  time  of  the  end 
of  the  world  ("  the  coming,  etc.,"  ver.  if)^  such  a  revelation 
would  again  be  utterly  slighted  by  the  thoughtless  and 
profane.  Indeed,  if  it  were  revealed  that  the  time  of  that 
event  would  be  more  remote  than  the  probable  death  of 
the  individual,  the  revelation  would  only  harden  his  heart 
the  more  and  confirm  his  security  in  sin.  The  Lord  here 
prepares  the  way  for  developing  in  ver.  42  and  the 
remainder  of  the  discourse  the  lesson  already  mentioned 
(see  ann.  to  ver.  36,  A.). 

^*  For  as  in  those  days  which  were  before  the  flood  they  were  eating  and 
drinking,  marrying  and  giving  in  marriage,  until  the  day  that  Noah  entered 
into  the  ark, 

See  Gen.  6  :  1-6,  "  the  wickedness  of  man  was  great." — 
Flood=of  water  (Gen.  6  :  17;  y  '.  6),  the  deluge,  as  in  2 
Peter  2  :  5  ; — eating,  etc.^men  continued  to  be  absorbed 
in  the  affairs  of  this  life  ; — giving  in  marriage,  as  in  i  Cor. 
7  :  38),  is  the  act  of  parents  who  arrange  the  marriage  of 
their  children  ; — until  the  day  ^showing  not  the  least 
regard  to  the  divine  revelations  of  the  time  of  the  deluge. 
The  Lord,  as  in  His  description  of  the  rich  man  (Luke 
16  :  19)  specifies  no  gross  crimes,  as  murder,  etc.  ;  but  His 
description  represents  the  antediluvians  as  totally  alien- 
ated from  the  life  of  God  (Eph.  4  :  18),  as  neither  glorify- 
ing nor  thanking  God  (Rom.  i  :  21),  and  as  ultimately 
abandoned  by  divine  grace  in  consequence  of  their  inex- 
cusable ignorance  and  wickedness  (Rom.  i  :  20,  24,  26, 
28).  Hence,  their  worldly  life,  not  being  influenced  by 
divine    grace,   exhibited  nothing    but  vice    and    iniquity 


XXIV.  39-4']  CHAPTER  XXIV.  257 

(comp.  Rom.  i  :  29,  ff. ;  2  :  10-18;  14:23).  The  descrip- 
tion applies  to  every  godless  and  wicked  generation, 
living  in  thoughtless  security. 

''And  they  knew  not  until  the  flood  came,  and  took  them  all  away;  so 
shr.ll  be  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  man. 

And  knew  not==did  not  reflect,  care  for,  as  in  Gen. 
39  :  6  ;  Isai.  I  :  3,  the  corresponding  Hebrew  word  signi- 
fies, like  the  same  Greek  word  in  John  10:  14. — B.  Took 
.  .  .  away=carried  them  off,  caused  their  death  ;  the 
Greek  word,  as  an  exclamation,  "  away,"  occurs  in  Luke 
23  :  18;  Acts  21  :  36;  22  :  22. — C.  So  shall  (will),  etc.^ 
so,  too,  at  the  end  of  the  world,  many  will  be  totally 
unprepared  to  meet  their  Judge. 

'*°,  "'  Then  shall  two  men  be  in  the  field  ;  one  is  taken,  and  one  is  left. — 
Two  women  shall  be  grinding  at  the  mill ;  one  is  taken,  and  one  is  left. 

In  these  two  verses  the  Lord  declares  that  when  the 
time  of  His  coming  is  at  hand,  impenitent  sinners  will  be 
found  absorbed  in  temporal  concerns  and  totally  regard- 
less of  their  eternal  interests  ;  but  other  persons,  again, 
in  similar  stations  of  life,  without  neglecting  their  earthly 
calling,  will  be  found  to  have  lived  a  life  of  faith.  He 
selects  illustrations  which  comprehend  both  sexes  and 
various  conditions.  Two  men  may  be  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural labors;  one  of  them  may  be  a  believer;  he  will 
be  taken=received  into  the  care  of  the  angels  (ver.  31  ; 
compare  take  in  2  :  20 ;  Acts  21  :  24).  Two  women  (as 
the  original  indicates)  may  be  intimately  associated  in  the 
same  household  duties  (for  grinding,  etc.,  see  18  :  6,  C.)  ; 
one  of  them  may  be  taken^be  acknowledged  as  a  true 
believer;  the  other,  a  worldly-minded  woman,  be  unfit, 
through  want  of  a  new  heart,  to  be  admitted  into  the  joy 
of  the  Lord  (comp.  Luke  17  :  28,  32,  35). 

^  Watch  therefore:  for  ye  know  not  on  what  day  your  Lord  cometh. 

A.     The  subject  which  the  Lord  now  introduces,  that 
17 


258  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxiv.  43. 

is,  the  duty  of  each  individual  to  prepare  for  his  approach- 
ing  death,  as  if  the  day  of  that  event  actually  coincided 
with  the  day  of  the  Lord's  coming,  He  proceeds  to  unfold 
in  the  following  words,  to  ch.  25  :  30.  He  primarily 
applies  the  lesson  to  His  own  disciples,  as  the  first  her- 
alds of  the  cross  and  teachers  of  the  Church.  That  a  new 
division  of  the  discourse  here  commences  is  shown  by  the 
manner  in  which  Luke  in  ch.  21  :  36  (with  which  comp. 
Mark  13  :  33-37)  here  closes  his  report,  indicating  that 
the  special  subject  hitherto  discussed  is  now  dismissed 
and  a  new  one  introduced.  (Compare  for  this  verse  and 
those  which  follow,  Luke  12  :  37-40,  and  Prel.  Obs.  G.) 
— B.  Watch  therefore==in  view  of  the  uncertainty  of  the 
hour  in  which  death  may  call  you  away,  be  always  pre- 
pared for  the  coming  of  your  Judge.  "And  what  I  say 
unto  you,  I  say  unto  all,  Watch  "  (Mark  1 3  :  37).  "  Watch 
and  pray  "  (Matt.  26  :  41  ;  comp.  i  Cor.  16  :  13  ;  i  Thess. 
5:6;  I  Peter  5  :  8) ;  in  the  latter  passage  the  same  word 
is  translated  :  "  be  vigilant." — C.  For  ye,  etc.=precisely 
your  ignorance  of  the  exact  time  of  your  end  is  to  have 
the  effect  of  keeping  your  faith  alive,  of  maintaining  the 
spirit  of  prayer,  of  animating  you  to  live  near  to  God 
(see  above,  Prel.  Obs.  D.).  Such  daily  communion  with 
God  (i  Cor.  15:31;  Gal.  2  :  20)  alone  can  preserve  you 
from  Satan's  snares  and  qualify  you  for  the  enjoyment  of 
the  presence  of  God  in  heaven. 

*^  But  know  this,  that  if  the  master  of  the  house  had  known  in  what 
watch  the  thief  was  coming,  he  would  have  watched,  and  would  not  have 
suffered  his  house  to  be  broken  through 

A.  Goodman  .  .  .  house=householder  (see  20  :  ii, 
B.). — B.  In  what,  etc. — watch =night-watch  (14:25,  A.), 
here  equivalent  to  :  at  zvhat  hour  of  the  night.  The  thief's 
arrival  was  a  proverbial  expression  of  the  Jews,  indicat- 
ing any  event  the  time  of  the  occurrence  of  which  was  very 


XXIV.  44-]  CHAPTER  XXIV.  259 

uncertain  (see  above,  7  :  6,  A.;  18:3,  C).  The  sense  here 
is: — A  wise  man,  who  receives  an  intimation  that  danger 
is  approaching,  will  prepare  for  it  and  be  found  ready- 
when  it  arrives. — Broken  up^broken  into,  entered  into, 
through  an  opening  in  the  wall  (6  :  19,  B.). 

**■  Therefore  be  also  ready :  for  in  an   hour  that  ye  think  not  the   Son  of 
man  cometh. 

A.  Therefore,  lit.  On  this  account  =-2.%  your  case  is  the 
same  (being  forewarned  of  approaching  danger),  imitate 
that  man's  example  ;  while  the  arrival  of  death,  on  the 
one  hand,  is  certain,  the  precise  time,  on  the  other,  is  un- 
certain.— B.  Be  .  .  .  ready.  The  original  word  for  ready 
is  equivalent  lo  prepared  (22  :  4,  8  ;  2  Cor.  9  :  5),  and,  as 
in  25  :  10  and  Tit.  3:1;!  Peter  3:15,  describes  persons 
who  have  made  all  proper  arrangements  for  an  approach- 
ing  event,  the  precise  time  of  the  occurrence  of  which  is 
unknown. — C.  For  in  such,  etc.  While  it  is  obvious 
that  the  disciples  died  before  the  second  or  last  coming 
of  Christ,  it  is  equally  obvious,  in  view  of  the  sense  and 
application  of  the  parables  which  immediately  follow,  that 
the  "  coming  "  which  is  here  announced  is  a  decisive  and 
final  event  (comp.  25  :  10);  it  is  the  day  of  "  reckoning" 
for  all  men  (25  :  19 ;  comp.  with  24  :  46,  5 1).  This  coming 
can  therefore  not  be  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  with 
which  the  death  of  the  several  disciples  did  not  coincide, 
nor  can  it  refer  to  any  other  striking  public  event  in  the 
current  history  of  the  world ;  it  can  indicate  only  the 
death  of  the  disciples  respectively,  and  of  other  individ- 
uals (see  10  :  23,  B.).  In  one  sense  of  the  proverb 
(founded  on  Eccl.  1 1  :  3)  :  "  As  the  tree  fall,  so  it  lies," 
the  future  and  eternal  state  of  each  individual  will  depend 
on  the  life  and  spirit  which  characterized  him  at  the  time 
when  he  died  (see  ver.  36,  A.).  The  Lord  therefore  here 
says: — In  place  of  inquiring  with  unnecessary    anxiety 


26o  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxiv.  45. 

concerning  future  events  in  which  you  are  not  personally 
interested,  rather  prepare  for  the  hour  of  your  own  death  , 
that  hour  may  come  suddenly,  in  some  tumult  raised  by 
persecutors  or  otherwise  ;  therefore,  regard  each  day  as 
your  last,  as  if  the  end  of  the  world  were  very  nigh. 

*'  Who  then  is  the  faithful  and  wise  servant,  whom  his  lord  hath  set  over 
his  household,  to  give  them  their  food  in  due  season  ? 

A.  Who  .  .  .  servant.  In  this  passage,  ver.  45-51, 
the  Lord  appears  to  allude  primarily  to  the  apostolic 
duties  of  His  disciples  as  His  agents  in  founding  the 
Church  and  communicating  the  Gospel  to  the  world.  In 
their  capacity  as  the  original  heralds  of  the  cross 
("  pillars,"  Gal.  2:9;  "  the  salt  of  the  earth,"  "  the  light 
of  the  world,"  Matt.  5  :  13,  14;  "sitting  upon  twelve 
thrones,"  19  ;  28),  they  assumed  a  heavy  responsibility, 
and  would,  after  their  death,  be  subjected  to  a  strict  ex- 
amination of  the  degree  of  fidelity  which  they  had  ex- 
hibited to  their  sublime  mission.  At  the  same  time,  the 
particulars  mentioned  in  Mark  13  :  34  and  37,  but  omitted 
here  ("  to  every  man  his  work,  etc."),  show  that  every 
individual,  in  whatever  position  he  may  be  placed,  is 
regarded  by  the  Lord  as  a  responsible  agent,  who  is 
solemnly  bound  to  labor  faithfully  in  the  service  of  God. 
Matthew  appears  to  regard  the  apostles  particularly,  but 
without  confining  the  application  of  the  word  to  them 
alone. — Wise=here,  descriptive  of  a  man  of  forethought 
and  prudence  ;  the  same  term  occurs  in  25  :  2. — Household 
=the  aggregate  of  the  "  fellow-servants "  in  ver.  49 
(comp.  Luke  12  :  42). — B.  To  give,  etc.  The  servant  here 
described  as  a  model  for  the  apostles  is  a  steivard  (Luke 
12  :  42),  a  servant  also,  but  invested  by  his  master  with 
authority  over  others,  like  Eliezer  (Gen.  15:2;  24  :  2,  and 
see  above  20  :  8,  B.).  Paul  regards  himself  and  his  fellow- 
laborers  as  "  stewards  of  the  mysteries  of  God  "   (i    Cor 


XXIV.  46,  47]  CHAPTER  XXIV.  261 

4  :  i),  and  Peter  assumes  that  "  every  man  that  hath  re- 
ceived the  gift  (Ht.  rt  ^z//)  "  is  "a  steward  of  the  mani- 
fold grace  of  God"  (i  Peter  4:  10). — fleat^food  (3  :  4, 
C). — In  due  season=at  the  proper  time ;  in  the  spiritual 
sense,  a  wise  and  judicious,  as  well  as  conscientious  and 
zealous  fulfilment  of  religious  duties  is  here  implied. 

^  Blessed  is  that  servant,  whom  his  lord  when  he  cometh  shall  find  so 
doing. 

The  blessings  described  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount 
(5  :  3-12)  are  here  promised  anew  in  all  their  fulness  and 
eternal  glory  ;  they  will  be  granted  on  the  last  day  (25  : 
34),  for  then  the  Lord  "cometh"  (25  :  31).  Such  pre- 
cious promises,  received  in  faith,  cheered  the  disciples  in 
all  their  subsequent  trials  (see  2  Cor.  4:17,  18  ;  Phil,  i  : 
21-23 ;  2  Tim.  4  :  6-8  ;  James  i  :  12 ;  2  :  5  ;  i  Peter  5  :  4, 
10;  I  John  3:2;  Jude,  ver.  21). — So  doing=  always, 
without  abatement,  working,  watching  and  praying. 
*'  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  that  he  will  set  him  over  all  that  he  hath. 

A.  As  these  remarkable  words  refer  to  acts  of  the  Lord 
and  to  conditions  of  the  redeemed,  all  of  which  belong  to 
the  future,  and  the  scene  of  which  is  heaven,  the  precise 
meaning  of  the  former  cannot  at  present  be  known  to 
mortals.  St.  Paul  refers  to  the  same  subject  in  Rom.  8  : 
17,  18,  and  calls  the  redeemed  "joint  heirs  with  Christ"  ; 
he  there  also  speaks  of  "  the  glory  which  shall  be  revealed 
in  us,"  and  elsewhere  (2  Tim.  2  :  11,  12)  declares  that  the 
faithful  shall  "  live  "  and  "  reign  "  with  Christ.  As  these 
visions  of  heavenly  glory,  if  unveiled,  would  dazzle  and 
overcome  feeble  mortals  while  they  are  in  the  flesh,  St. 
John  says :  "  It  doth  not  yet  appear,  etc."  (i  John  3  :  2). — 
B.  Make  him,  etc.  The  sense  of  the  image  (taken  from 
scenes  like  those  in  Gen.  39  :  4-6;  41  :  40)  is  : — Even  as 
such  a  lord  advances   the  faithful  servant  to  a  position  of 


262  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.        [xxiv.  48-51. 

the  highest  honor  and  enjoyment,  so  God  will  raise  the 
redeemed  to  the  full  and  unlimited  enjoyment  of  heavenly 
glory  (comp.  25  :  21). 

**  But  if  that  evil  servant  shall  say  in  his  heart,  My  lord  tarrieth ; 

A.  But  and  if.  The  word  and  is  here  superfluous  ;  it 
does  not  occur  in  the  original  Greek  phrase,  which  else- 
where, as  in  5  :  13  ;  6  :  23,  is  translated  simply  :  but  if 
^==if,  hozvever,  or,  shoiild,  Jioxvever. — B.  That  evil  servant 
^if  that  highly  trusted  servant  should  be  found  to  have 
been  evil,  faithless,  dishonest. — C.  Say  in  his  heart= 
secretly  think,  as  in  Ps.  10  :  6,  11,  13.— D.  My  lord,  etc. 
=the  time  of  my  death  is  still  distant.  "  Though  it 
tarry,  wait  (look)  for  it  ;  because  it  will  surely  come,  etc." 
(Hab.  2  :  3). 

*9  And  shall  begin  to  beat  his  fellow-servants,  and  shall  eat  and  drink  with 
the  drunken ; 

And  shall,  etc.=and  shall  walk  after  the  flesh  (Rom. 
8  :  I  ;  2  Peter  2  :  10),  indulging  the  corrupt  inclinations 
of  his  heart,  and  scorning  all  religious  duties.  The  sel- 
fish, oppressive,  carnally  minded  (Rom.  8  :  6)  servant  is 
here  the  image  of  the  nominal  Christian,  of  the  uncon- 
verted, worldly-minded  sinner  (James  4  :  17),  and  also  of 
the  hypocrite  (ver.  51). 

'°  The  lord  of  that  servant  shall  come  in  a  day  when  he  expecteth  not, 
and  in  an  hour  when  he  knoweth  not. 

That  servant  will  harden  his  heart  more  and  more,  in- 
asmuch as  obstinate  impenitence  brings  with  it  the 
curse  of  increased  insensibility  to  the  warnings  of  truth  ; 
thus  the  "  day  "  and  "  hour  "  of  death  will  come  when 
he  is  least  prepared  to  meet  his  God  and  Judge. 

"  And  shall  cut  him  asunder,  and  appoint  his  portion  with  the  hypo- 
crites :  there  shall  be  the  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth. 

A.     And  shall  .  .  .  asunder.     This   horrible   mode  of 


XXIV.  51]  CHAPTER  XXIV.  263 

inflicting  capital  punishment,  called  dicholoniy,  was 
practised  by  the  ancient  Babylonians  (Dan.  2:5;  3  :  29), 
Egyptians  and  Persians ;  it  differed  from  another  bar- 
barous mode  of  execution  called  scrratiira,  or  sawing 
asunder,  to  which  there  is  an  allusion  in  Hebr,  11  :  37, 
where  the  prophet  Isaiah,  according  to  later  traditions,  is 
meant.  Neither  mode  was  tolerated  by  the  laws  of 
Moses.  The  acts  described  in  2  Sam.  4:12,  and  probably 
12  :  31,  were  mutilations  of  the  bodies  of  criminals  after 
their  death,  the  purpose  of  which  was  to  attach  ignominy 
to  the  punishment  of  death.  Under  this  image  the  Lord 
describes  the  eternal  and  awful  doom  of  the  impenitent. 
— Portion=fruit,  reward,  result,  as  in  Eccl.  2  :  10;  Rev. 
21  :  8,  "  part." — Hypocrites  (see  6  :  2,  D.).  Here  the  Lord 
reveals  that  their  eternal  condition  in  the  other  world 
will  be  one  of  unmitigated  punishment  and  misery  ;  they 
are  in  reality  "unbelievers"  (Luke  12:46). — B.  There 
shall,  etc.  (see  8  :  12,  D.  "  The  wages  of  sin  is  death," 
Rom.  6  :  23). 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

PRELIMINARY    OBSERVATIONS. 

Obs.  a. — After  the  Lord  had  given  answers  to  the 
questions  in  ch.  24  :  3,  He  introduced  the  momentous 
truth  that  the  hour  of  the  death  of  each  individual  is 
"  the  end  "  of  all  things,  virtually,  in  his  own  case  ;  it  is, 
as  He  teaches,  the  duty  of  man  not  so  much  to  inquire 
after  the  precise  time  of  the  fall  of  Jerusalem  or  of  the 
end  of  the  world,  as,  rather,  to  make  diligent  prepara- 
tions for  his  own  death,  which  may  occur  when  it  is 
least  expected  (see  above,  24  :  36,  A.,  and  ver.  44,  C). 

Obs.  B. — This  important  lesson  is  now  more  fully 
taught  and  illustrated  by  two  parables.  These  will  lose 
much  of  their  meaning  and  force,  unless  they  be  studied 
in  connection  with  the  foregoing  chapter.  The  images 
in  both  (a  festival,  as  in  8:11,  in  the  one,  and  a  final 
reckoning  in  the  other)  plainly  indicate  the  "  end  "  of  all 
things.  The  former — the  parable  of  the  Ten  Virgins — 
principally  illustrates  the  uncertainty  of  the  hour  of  death, 
and  the  importance  of  being  at  all  times  prepared  for  it. 
That  such  is  the  scope  of  the  parable  is  revealed  in  ver. 
13,  which  assigns  the  purpose  for  which  the  parable  was 
delivered.  The  second  parable — of  the  Talents — is  de- 
signed to  explain  the  reasons  which  render  such  a  prepa- 
ration for  death  necessary.  These  are  derived  from  the 
circumstance  that   as  each  individual  had  been  intrusted 

264 


XXV.  I.]  CHAPTER  XXV.  265 

with  objects  of  great  intrinsic  value  (life,  religious  privi- 
leges, etc.),  he  will  be  required  to  give  an  account  of  his 
character  and  conduct  to  the  Supreme  Judge  on  the  Day 
of  Judgment. 

Hence,  the  second  parable  gives  special  prominence  to 
man's  responsibility  for  his  mode  of  applying  the  gifts 
which  divine  grace  has  bestowed.  While  the  near  rela- 
tions of  the  virgins  to  the  bride,  and  of  the  servants  to 
their  Lord,  seem  to  indicate  that  the  responsibility  of  the 
disciples  is  chiefly  designed  to  be  illustrated,  there  is  no 
reason  for  supposing  that  the  solemn  lessons  and  warnings 
here  given  are  applicable  to  them  alone — surely,  "  every 
man  "  (ver.  15),  without  any  exception,  is  solemnly  bound 
to  be  a  faithful  servant  of  his  Lord  in  heaven. 

'  Then  shall  the  kingdom  of  heaven  be  likened  unto  ten  virgins,  which 
took  their  lamps,  and  went  forth  to  meet  the  bridegroom. 

A.  Then=at  the  "  end  "  of  all  things,  when  the  Lord's 
final  coming  to  judgment  occurs ;  the  latter  virtually 
coincides,  in  the  case  of  every  individual,  with  the  day  of 
his  death  (24  :  36,  A.).  — B.  Kingdom  .  ,  .  likened 
unto=the  Messiah's  kingdom  in  its  transition,  when  its 
earthly  forms,  which  exhibited  a  mixture  of  good  and 
evil  (tares  and  wheat,  ch.  13),  pass  away,  and  when  it  is 
to  be  revealed  in  its  pure  and  heavenly  character  (see 
Excursus  I.  §  lo).— Likened  unto  (see  18  :  23,  B.).— C. 
Ten.  Among  the  Jews  various  cardinal  numbers  (such  as 
3,  7,  10,  12,  40,  70)  were  peculiarly  significant,  chiefly  in 
consequence  of  the  association  of  the  latter  with  promi- 
nent points  in  the  law,  historical  events,  etc.  (see  10  :  i, 
A.;  18  :  21,  A.).  The  number  ten  reminded  the  Jew  of 
the  "  words  of  the  covenant,  the  ten  commandments  " 
(Exod.  34  :  28  ;  Deut.  4  :  13);  it  reappeared  in  the  laws 
respecting  titJus  (see  23  :  23,  A.),  and  elsewhere  fre- 
quently.    It  indicated   completeness   or  sufficiency,  and 


266  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxv,  i. 

was  used  at  times  to  represent  a  large  number  (Gen.  31  : 
7,  41  ;  I  Sam.  1:8;  Job  19  :  3  ;  Eccl.  7  :  19).  It  also 
expressed,  according  to  Jewish  usage,  the  limit  or  lowest 
number  of  which  a  company  could  consist  that  ate  the 
paschal  lamb  in  conformity  to  the  law  in  Exod.  12:4, 
"  so  that  a  company  not  less  than  ten  belong  to  every 
sacrifice  "  (Jos.  War,  6,  9,  3).  Hence,  the  nobleman  in 
Luke  19  :  13,  who  had  a  full  and  complete  household, 
had  "  ten  servants."  In  the  present  case  the  phrase, 
ten  virgins,  is  equivalent  to  the  customary  or  appropriate 
number  of  female  friends  and  attendants  of  a  Jewish 
bride. — D.  Virgins.  On  the  occasion  of  a  marriage, 
the  bridegroom,  attended  -by  his  "  companions  "  (Judg. 
14  :  II,  and  see  Matt.  9:  15,  A.),  advanced,  after  the 
setting  of  the  sun  (hence  the  "  lamps  "),  to  meet  the  bride, 
who  was  attended  by  a  corresponding  number  of  "  vir- 
gins, her  companions"  (Ps.  45  :  14).  These  were  some- 
times more  than  ten  in  number,  in  the  case  of  families  of 
wealth  and  rank.  The  judgment  is  represented  as  a 
joyful  event,  since  it  transfers  the  faithful  (as  all  ought 
to  be)  to  scenes  of  joy  and  glorj'.  It  is  possibly  on 
this  account  that  the  Lord,  as  in  Luke  12  :  36,  chooses 
the  image  of  a  marriage  festival.  The  persons  in  this 
and  the  next  parable  are  simply  representatives  of  gene- 
ral classes  of  men,  and  no  special  spiritual  meaning  appears 
to  be  connected  with  the  literal  meaning  of  the  terms 
virgins  and  servants. — E.  Lamps,  or  torches,  as  the  word 
is  rendered  in  John  18:3.  Such  a  torch  consisted  of  a 
staff  or  rod,  to  one  end  of  which  a  small  vessel  or  pan 
containing  a  wick  saturated  with  oil  was  attached  (see  12  : 
20,  A.)  ;  the  latter,  while  burning,  was  regularly  supplied 
with  oil  from  another  vessel  with  which  it  was  connected 
(ver.  4  and  7,  and  see  Numb.  4:9,"  lamps,  oil-vessels  "). 
■ — Went  forth=from  their  own  respective  homes   to   the 


XXV.  2.]  CHAPTER  XXV.  267 

house  of  the  bride  (comp.  ver.  6,  C). — F.  The  bride- 
groom. The  Lord  Jesus  is  supposed  by  many  to  be 
indicated  by  the  bridegroom  ;  the  bride  would  then 
represent  the  Church.  The  coming  of  the  Lord  as  the 
Judge  of  men,  at  a  future  but  uncertain  time,  is  doubtless 
impHed  by  the  expected  arrival  of  the  bridegroom.  The 
bride  herself  is  not  introduced,  while  her  attendants  are 
the  prominent  personages  (see  22  :  2,  C).  Now,  the  true 
members  of  the  Church,  as  it  is  designed  to  exist  (Eph. 
5  :  27),  will  also  be  required  to  give  an  account  as  well 
as  others  ;  hence  the  interpretation  of  this  portion  of 
the  parable  is  simplified  if  we  assume  that  its  main  object 
is  to  set  forth,  on  the  one  hand,  the  uncertainty  of  the 
hour  of  death  (viewed  as  virtually  equivalent  to  the 
day  of  judgment),  and,  on  the  other,  the  necessity  of 
being  prepared  for  death  at  all  times.  The  details  here 
given  (the  number  y?z/^,  ver.  2  ;  the  sleeping  of  all,  ver.  5, 
etc.)  do  not,  respectively,  represent  spiritual  things  : 
this  view  is  sustained  by  the  words  occurring  in  ver.  13, 
which  explain  the  intention  of  the  parable.  So,  too,  the 
"oil  and  wine"  of  the  good  Samaritan  (Luke  10  :  34)  do 
not  respectively  represent  special  spiritual  things,  but, 
with  other  details,  set  forth  the  thoughtfulness,  tender- 
ness and  fulness  of  love. 

^  And  five  of  them  were  foolish,  and  five  were  wise. 

Five — five.  The  Lord  does  not  intend  to  teach  that 
the  number  of  enlightened  Christians  is  precisely  equal  to 
that  of  impenitent  sinners ;  He  merely  takes  the  lowest 
number  (ver.  i,  C.)  which  the  case  suggested,  and 
presents  accordingly  two  groups  (comp.  21  :  28;  Luke 
15:11).  Even  as  in  Luke  13  :  23,  24,  He  withheld  a 
direct  answer  to  a  question  respecting  the  actual  number 
of  those  "  that  be  saved,"  so  here   He  refrains   from    in- 


268  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxv.  3,  4. 

dicating  even  remotely  the  relative  proportions  of  the  two 
classes  ;  He  introduces  a  general  division,  which,  while  it 
gives  the  strongest  force  to  the  contrast  between  the  two 
classes,  is  equivalent  to  :  "  some — some." — Foolish^ 
dull,  inconsiderate,  as  in  7  :  26  ;  23  :  17;  Tit.  3  :  9  (see 
above  5  :  22,  F.  Comp.  Prov.  14  :  8  ;  Ps.  1 1 1  :  10  ;  2  Pet. 
I  :  5-9). — Wise.  The  original  word  here,  as  in  7  :  24,  is 
equivalent  to  prudent,  thoughtful,  intelligent,  and  occurs 
in  such  a  sense  in  Matt.  24  :  45  ;  Luke  12  :  42  ;  16  :  8  ;  i 
Cor.  10  :  15  ;  it  is  different  from  the  word  which  strictly 
corresponds  to  the  English  word  zuise,  and  which  occurs 
in  Matt.  11  :  25  ;  23  :  34;   Rom.  i  :  14;   i  Cor.  i  :  19. 

^  *  For  the   foolish   when   they  took  their  lamps,  took  no  oil  with  them  : 
But  the  wise  took  oil  in  their  vessels  with  their  lamps. 

Lamps — oil — vessels    (see     above,    ver.    i,    E.). — With 

them=with  themselves.  The  wise  virgins,  aware  that 
the  emptiness  of  the  oil-vessels  would  defeat  the  whole 
design  for  which  the  lamps  were  carried,  furnished  them- 
selves with  oil,  and  were  consequently  ready  at  any 
moment.  The  others,  occupied  with  the  present  moment 
alone,  made  no  provision  for  the  future.  Their  moral 
conduct  was,  as  far  as  the  world  could  judge,  correct 
("  lamps  "),  but  was  not  sanctified  by  Christian  or  holy 
principles  ("  oil  ").  This  fact  constitutes  the  essential 
difference  between  nominal  Christians  and  hypocrites,  on 
the  one  hand,  and  those  who  have  an  experimental 
knowledge  of  Christ  (Phil.  3  :  8,  10),  on  the  other.  "  Good 
works  without  faith  are  like  lamps  without  oil,  which  are 
soon  extinguished." — Luther.  The  Lord  exhibits  by 
means  of  such  images  the  wisdom  of  those  who  daily  and 
hourly  prepare  to  meet  their  God,  and  the  folly  of  those 
who  live  in  impenitence  and  sin.  The  lampsmay  thus  be 
regarded  as  symbols  of  a  moral  life  regulated  by  the  prin- 
ciples of  worldly  decorum,  and  the  oil  as  a  symbol  of  that 


XXV.  5,  6.1  CHAPTER  XXV.  269 

living  faith  without  which  even  an  outwardly  moral  life 
exhibits  no  works  that,  in  the  eyes  of  God,  are  truly  good 
and  acceptable.  Such  special  explanations,  however, 
while  they  may  involve  important  truths,  are  not  neces- 
sarily a  part  of  the  immediate  purpose  of  the  parable. 
Hence  the  explanations  or  applications  may  vary  ;  some 
may  take  the  lamps  as  images  of  the  sacred  writings,  and 
the  oil  as  an  image  of  the  light  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  who 
gives  the  true  interpretation  of  the  Scriptures. 

*  Now  while  the  bridegroom  tarried,  they  all  slumbered  and  slept. 

A.  Tarried=<T''^yrrrr</,  delayed  his  coming,  as  in  24  : 
48. — B.  They  all,  etc.  As  «// the  ww^  virgins  also  slept, 
while  no  censure  falls  upon  them  for  yielding  to  a  ten- 
dency of  the  bodily  nature  established  by  the  Creator 
Himself,  and  as  no  evil  results  follow,  the  sleep  here 
mentioned,  as  in  13  :  25,  cannot  be  interpreted  as  an  image 
of  spiritual  sloth.  It  is  probably  only  one  of  the  de- 
tails which  impart  a  natural  character  to  the  historical 
frame-work  of  the  parable.  Or,  possibly,  this  interval 
which  all  spent  in  sleep  may  represent  that  portion  of 
time  given  to  lawful  secular  pursuits,  such  as  trade, 
agriculture,  etc.,  which  belong  only  to  this  life  ;  to  these 
the  believer  gives  a  proper  share  of  attention  while 
"  waiting  for  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  "  (i 
Cor.  I  :  7;    I  Thess.  i  :  10). 

*  But  at  midnight  there  is  a  cry,  Behold,  the  bridegroom  !  Come  ye  forth 
to  meet  him. 

A.  At  midnight=when,  under  ordinary  circumstances, 
no  visitor  was  expected  (Luke  1 1  :  5-7)  ;  the  Lord  probably 
illustrates  the  words  just  pronounced,  in  24  :  44,  where  a 
solemn  warning  against  all  false  security  respecting  the 
time  of  our  death  is  given  (see  also  2  Pet.  3  :  3,  ff.). — B. 
A  cry  .  .  .  bridegroom.^the  shouts,  the  voice  of  mirtli 
etc.,   characteristic    of  a  marriage   procession  in  ancient 


270  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxv.  7, 8. 

Jerusalem  (Jerem.  7  :  34  ;  16  :  9  ;  25  :  10 ;  Ps.  45  :  15). — C 
Come  ye,  etc.  The  virgins  are  represented  as  waiting  in 
the  dwelling  of  the  bride,  where  they  had  previously  as- 
sembled (see  ver.  i,  C.)  until  the  approach  of  the  bride- 
groom with  his  companions  should  be  announced. 

'  Then  all  those  virgins  arose,  and  trimmed  their  lamps. 

Trimmed.     The  Greek  word   may  include   the   act   of 

applying  the  sharp-pointed  wire  usually  attached  to  the 

lamp  or  torch  ;    it  designates  in  general  the  process  of 

putting  in  order,  preparing,  or  furnishing,  for  instance, 

a  table  with  food  (Ezek.  23  :  41,  in  the  Sept.  or  Greek 

translation),  a  house  with  utensils  (Luke  ii  :  25),  a  grave 

with    garlands  (Matt.   23  :  29),   a    bride   with    ornaments 

(Rev.  21:2),  and  here,  possibly,  a  torch  or  wick  with  oil 

(ver.  I,  C).     The  time  of  replenishing  the  lamp  in  order 

to  obtain  the  brightest  light  represents  the  moment  when 

all  are  called  to  present  themselves  before  the  Judge. 

'  And  the  foolish  said  unto  the  wise,  Give  us  of  your  oil ;  for  our  lamps 
are  going  out. 

Are  going  outdare  nearly  extinguished  or  quenched,  as 
the  word  is  elsewhere  rendered  (Matt.  12  :  20  ;  Mark 
9  :  44 ;  Hebr.  1 1  :  34).  The  soul  which  devotes  its  whole 
time  and  attention  to  the  affairs  of  this  life  (see  ver.  5,  B.), 
and  neglects  to  seek  a  living  faith  in  Christ,  is  not  fitted 
to  enter  heaven.  The  obstinately  impenitent  sinner  dis- 
covers too  late  the  gross  self-delusion  to  which  he  had 
yielded  in  this  life.  The  wise  virgins  represent  those 
who,  while  they  "use  this  world"  (i  Cor.  7  :  31),  have 
their  "  conversation  (=citizenship)  in  heaven  "  (Phil. 
3  :  20),  and  their  "  affections  set  on  things  above  "  (Col. 
3  :  2),  where  their  "treasures"  are  (Matt.  6  :  20).  At  the 
close  of  this  discourse  (ver.  41-46),  the  Lord  more  fully 
describes  the  condition  of  those  whose  lamps  have  no 
"  oil  "=who  appear  before  the  Judge  without  the  right- 


XXV.  9-]  CHAPTER  XXV.  271 

eousness  of  Christ  which  is  imputed  to  those  who  receive 
Him  with  a  hving  faith  (Phil.  3  :  9). 

9  But  the  wise  answered,  saying,  Peradventure  there  be  not  enough  for 
us  and  you  :  go  ye  rather  to  them  that  sell,  and  buy  for  yourselves. 

A.  But  the  wise  ...  so.  The  refusal  is  not  here 
expressed  as  fully  and  emphatically  as  in  13  :  29,  but 
rather  implies  some  apprehension  which  occasions  the 
non-compliance ;  for  instance,  it  is  to  be  feared  that  there 
be  not  enough;  in  Rom.  11  :  21  the  words  "take  heed" 
are  accordingly  inserted  (comp.  Acts  5  :  39,  "  lest  haply  "). 
The  speakers,  who  have  enough  oil  for  themselves  only, 
direct  the  others  to  resort  to  the  same  source  which  had 
supplied  them.  The  spiritual  sense  is :  Every  individual 
will  be  judged  according  to  his  own  character  and  con- 
duct ;  the  righteousness  of  one  mortal  will  not  save 
another.  It  is  the  blood  of  "the  Lamb  of  God  which 
taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world  "  (John  i  :  29),  that 
alone  "  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin"  (i  John  i  :  7).  No 
application  to  saints  or  angels  can  avail,  and  no  right- 
eousness of  our  own  can  atone  for  our  guilt.  There  are 
no  works  of  supererogation  (=good  works  done  over  and 
above  the  actual  duty  of  the  individual)  which  can  be 
put  to  the  account  of  another,  as  the  Papists  vainly 
imagine  (Luke  17  :  10).  "The  just  shall  live  by  faith" 
(Hab.  2:4;  Gal.  3  :  11),  that  is,  by  his  own  personal 
faith.  "  No  man  cometh  unto  the  Father  but  by  me  " 
(John  14  :  6).  See  the  gracious  invitations  in  Isai.  55:1; 
Matt.  1 1  :  28.— B.  Go  ye,  etc.  This  advice  seems  to 
indicate  a  feeble  hope  of  success  before  the  actual  arrival 
of  the  bridegroom  ;  it  may  represent  the  charitable  judg- 
ment or  hope  entertained  respecting  the  result  of  a 
deathbed  repentance  of  a  friend  or  acquaintance.  In 
such  cases  God  will  decide  with  mercy,  but  also  with 
strict  justice.     Can  they  that  have  oil  to  sell — the  Saviour 


272  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.         [xxv.  lo,  II. 

— be  SO  easily  found,  if  sought  for  only  at  the  last  mo- 
ment, when  death,  already  convulsing  the  body  with  pain 
and  clouding  the  thoughts  of  the  departing  spirit,  has 
commenced  his  work?  Is  that  a  favorable  time  for  leav- 
ing and  walking  in  the  way  of  salvation?  Even  as  Moses 
and  the  prophets,  when  too  long  slighted,  did  not  aid  the 
rich  man  (Luke  i6  :  29),  so  Christ  and  the  apostles  cease 
to  be  saving  guides  when  death  has  carried  his  prey 
away. 

'°  And  while  they  went  away  to  buy,  the  bridegroom  came  ;  and  they 
that  were  ready  went  in  with  him  to  the  marriage  feast :  and  the  door  was 
shut. 

A.  And  while  .  .  .  came^when  death  makes  its  ap- 
pearance, the  day  of  grace,  the  season  of  probation,  is 
closed.  "While  it  is  said.  To-day,  etc."  (Hebr.  3  :  15). — 
B.  They  that  .  .  .  marriage.  The  Lord  recurs  to  this 
circumstance  below  (ver.  34). — Marriage=marriage-feast, 
as  in  22  :  2,  4,  B. — And  the  door,  etc.  (comp.  Luke 
13  :  25),  where  the  spiritual  meaning,  which  occurs  here 
also,  is  obvious  from  the  connection  ;  the  eternal  exclu- 
sion of  all  "  workers  of  iniquity  "  from  heaven  is  plainly 
taught.  After  this  life,  the  door  of  heaven  will  never  be 
reopened  !  The  "  great  gulf  "  between  heaven  and  hell 
is  impassable  (Luke  16  :  26).  (The  Greek  word  for  gulf 
(chasm)  often  describes  a  wide  and  extended  space,  and 
is  applied  to  the  ocean  and  the  sky.) 

"  Afterward  come  also  the  other  virgins,  saying,  Lord,  Lord,  open  to  us. 

A.  Afterward=when  life  on  earth,  the  season  of  pro- 
bation, had  been  misapplied  and  had  passed  away  forever. 
— B.  Lord,  Lord,  etc.  "  Many  will  seek  to  enter  in,  and 
shall  not  be  able"  (Luke  13  :  34).  The  time  when  these 
scenes  will  occur  is  the  Day  of  Judgment  (see  7  :  21-23). 
The  wicked,  discovering  their  folly  too  late,  will  in  vain 
implore  the  Judge  to  pardon  them;  they  had  wantonly 


XXV.  12-14.]  CHAPTER  XXV.  273 

despised  His  warnings  while  it  was  called  To-day  (Hebr. 

3  :  13)- 

'^  But  he  answered  and  said,  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  I  know  you  not. 

(See  the  explanation  in  ann.  to  7  :  23,  B.)  Here  the 
language  is  appropriately  used  by  the  bridegroom,  who 
already  found  in  his  presence  all  that  had  appeared  in 
the  procession  and  were  entitled  to  enter.  To  many  on 
the  last  day  the  sense  will  be :  I  never  saw  you  in  the 
closet  (6  :  6),  at  my  Table  (i  Cor.  1 1  :  20),  etc. 

*3  Watch  therefore ;  for  ye  know  not  the  day  nor  the  hour. 

(See  above,  24  :  42,  for  the  explanation.)  We  have  in 
these  words  the  Lord's  own  declaration  respecting  the 
general  purpose  of  this  parable  ;  it  teaches  the  solemn 
lesson  implied  in  Eccl.  9  :  10. 

'*  For  it  is  as  when  a  man  going  into  another  country,  called  his  own 
servants,  and  delivered  unto  them  his  goods. 

A.  For  ...  a  man.  The  parable — of  the  Talents — 
somewhat  resembles  that  of  the  Ten  Pounds  in  Luke 
19:  12-27;  the  latter  was  delivered  at  an  earlier  period 
and  in  another  place,  and  differs  materially  from  the 
former  both  in  its  general  design,  as  stated  in  Luke 
19  :  II,  and  in  the  details.  The  image  in  both  cases  of  a 
lord  and  his  dependants  was  a  natural  and  familiar  one, 
and,  as  in  a  similar  instance  (see  above,  22  :  2,  A.),  could 
easily  occur  in  different  parables,  as  well  as  that  of  a  man 
who  "had  sons"  in  Matt.  21  :  28  and  Luke  15  :  11. — 
B.  Going  .  .  .  country.  The  Lord  grants  freedom  to 
men  during  their  life  on  earth,  the  period  of  their  proba- 
tion (see  21  :  33,  E.) ;  the  Saviour,  since  His  ascension  to 
the  Father,  is  not  personally  visible  to  men  (John  16  :  10; 
20:  17). — C.  His  own  servants=over  whom  he  pos- 
sessed undisputed  authority  (see  the  force  of  the  word 
own    in    John    10  :  12). — D,       His    goods=his    property, 


274  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxv.  15. 

as  in  19  :  21,  B.  The  Saviour  here  represents  all  that 
men  possess  (life,  bodily  and  mental  endowments,  etc.) 
as  objects  only  intrusted  to  them  by  God,  who  retains 
His  claim  to  all.  "  What  hast  thou  that  thou  didst  not 
receive?"  (i  Cor.  4:  7,  and  see  James  i  :  17;  i  Peter 
4  :  10). 

'5  And  unto  one  he  gave  five  talents,  to  another  two,  to  another  one  ;  to 
each  according  to  his  several  ability ;  and  he  went  on  his  journey. 

A.  Unto  one  .  .  .  ability.  Talent^a  Greek  denomi- 
nation of  a  certain  fixed  weight,  and  then  of  a  certain 
amount  of  money,  for  which  see  18:24,  B.  The  word, 
probably  through  the  influence  of  this  parable,  is  now 
often  applied  to  any  distinguished  mental  endowment ; — 
abWWy =capacit)\  fitness,  which  his  lord  had  already  fully 
ascertained  ;  a  faithful  employment  of  the  gifts  of  God's 
grace  is  followed  by  an  increased  measure  of  grace — 
"grace  for  grace"  (John  i:  16).  Similar  "  diversities  of 
gifts,"  granted  by  the  Spirit  "  as  he  will,"  are  mentioned 
in  I  Cor.  12:4-11.  The  divine  distribution  of  temporal 
and  spiritual  gifts  is  not  the  result  of  any  divine  procedure 
resembling  the  caprice  or  whim  of  a  man,  but  is  governed 
by  the  highest  wisdom,  justice  and  love,  although  the 
divine  purposes  in  special  cases  may  not  be  known  to  us. 
Such  gifts  are  always  adapted  to  the  several=personal 
or  particular  fitness  of  the  individual,  or  the  task  which 
God  assigns  to  him. — B.  Took  his  journey.  God,  whom 
we  cannot  perceive  with  our  senses,  does  not  at  once  arrest 
the  unfaithful  and  impenitent,  but  is  long  suffering  and 
patient,  reserving  to  Himself  the  determination  of  the 
time  of  the  judgment.  The  interval  between  this  lord's 
departure  and  his  return,  during  which  the  incidents  in 
vcr.  16-18  .occur,  represents  the  period  intervening 
between  Christ's  ascension  and  His  second  coming,  in 
the  history  of  the    Church,  as    well    as    in    that    of  the 


XXV.  i6-i8.]  CHAPTER  XXV.  275 

individual,  the  period  which  closes  at  the  death  of  the 
latter. 

'*  Straightway  he  that  had  received  the  five  talents  went  and  traded  with 
them,  and  made  other  five  talents. 

This  servant  applied  the  money  actively  and  judiciously 
to  the  purpose  of  trade,  in  accordance  with  his  master's 
intention  ;  during  the  absence  of  the  latter  he  doubled 
the  amount  originally  received.  The  spiritual  sense  is  : 
Our  life  and  strength  belong  to  God's  service ;  the  gifts 
of  His  grace,  offered  in  Christ,  are  to  be  diligently  applied 
by  every  one  in  the  fulfilment  of  the  duty  of  dying  to 
sin,  of  acquiring  the  spirit  and  mind  of  Christ  (Phil.  2  :  5), 
and  of  following  His  steps  (i  Peter  2:21);  then,  if  Christ 
is  "  our  life  "  (Col.  3  : 4),  our  death  is  "  gain  "  (Phil,  i  :  21). 
Our  growth  in  grace,  moreover,  in  knowledge,  faith  and 
love,  is  proportioned  to  our  earnestness  and  zeal.  The 
conscientious  employment  of  God's  temporal  gifts  is  here 
obviously  also  a  part  of  our  duty. 

"  In  like  manner,  he  also  that  received  the  two,  gained  other  two. 
All  are  not  apostles,  etc.  (i  Cor.  12  :  29)  ;  all  have  not 
the  same  abilities  and  opportunities  for  producing  impor- 
tant results  in  the  kingdom  of  grace.  Nevertheless,  he 
who  receives  only  two  talents=inferior  gifts,  opportuni- 
ties, etc.,  can  display  as  much  diligence,  forethought  and 
conscientiousness  in  seeking  his  salvation  as  he  who 
receives  five.  Hence  the  lord  who  is  here  introduced 
subsequently  speaks  not  of  the  success  or  actual  results, 
but  solely  of  the  faitJifiilncss  of  his  servants.  He  who 
believes  that  he  has  received  one  talent  only  is, 
nevertheless,  as  fully  held  accountable  for  his  conduct 
and  its  influence  or  results  as  others  who  appear  to  be 
originally  more  highly  favored. 

"  But  he  that  received  the  one  went  and  digged  in  the  earth,  and  hid  his 
lord's  money. 


276  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.         [xxv.  19,  20. 

The  Lord  had  already  in  24 :  48, 49,  described  a  faithless 
and  wasteful  servant^the  vicious,  profane  and  hardened 
sinner.  Here  He  presents  an  illustration  of  the  class  of 
moral  but  unconverted  and  unsanctified  persons  (see  ver. 
25,  A.).  These  do  not  absolutely  oppose  the  cause  of 
religion  ;  they  may  even  profess  to  be  its  friends ;  this 
feature  of  their  conduct  is  represented  by  the  act  of  hid- 
ing the  talent  and  preserving  it  from  harm.  But  they 
neither  acquire  spiritual  gains  for  themselves  by  follow- 
ing Christ,  nor  promote  the  spiritual  welfare  of  others  by 
an  example  of  Christian  fidelity  and  zeal.  The  offer  of 
pardon  and  salvation  is  practically  spurned  when  they 
neglect  the  means  of  grace  and  fail  to  fulfil  the  duties  of 
repentance  and  faith;  as  "wicked  and  slothful  "  servants, 
they  will  be  "  cast  into  outer  darkness  "  (ver.  26,  30). 
Every  impenitent  sinner  who  rejects  the  offer  of  divine 
mercy  is  the  servant  who  "  hides  his  lord's  money." 

"  Now  after  a  long  time  the  lord  of  those  servants  cometh,  and  maketh 
a  reckoning  with  them. 

Cometh=when  the  General  Judgment  is  held  (see  ch. 
24,  Prel.  Obs.  E.); — r&c\fSiTiQt\v=takcth  account,  7\s  in  18: 
23,  C.  (see  12:  36,  C,  and  comp.  2  Cor.  5  :  10). 

^°  And  so  he  that  received  five  talents  came  and  brought  other  five 
talents,  saying.  Lord,  thou  deliveredst  unto  me  five  talents :  lo,  I  have 
gained  other  five  talents. 

A.  Other  five  talents=five  that  had  been  gained  in 
addition  to  the  five  originally  received.  The  time,  ability, 
opportunity  and  spiritual  grace  offered  to  each  individual 
enable  him  both  to  secure  the  growth  of  grace  in  his  own 
heart,  and  also  to  promote  the  extension  of  the  Redeemer's 
kingdom  on  earth  ;  belabors  for  these  objects  by  precept, 
example  and  continued,  fervent  prayer. — B.  I  have 
gained,  etc.  Here  are  to  be  supplied  in  the  interpreta- 
tion (according   to  John    15:5,   "without  me,  etc.")  the 


XXV.  21-23.]  CHAPTER  XXV.  277 

words  :  "  Yet  not  I,  but  the  grace  of  God  which  was  with 
me"  (i  Cor.  15:  10).  The  five  additional  talents  were 
gained  only  through  the  five  that  had  been  originally 
given  (comp.  John  3  :  27). 

'*'  His  lord  said  unto  him,  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant :  thou 
hast  been  faithful  over  a  few  things,  I  will  set  thee  over  many  things :  enter 
thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  lord. 

A.  Weil  done.  This  expression  (comp.  2  Sam.  3:13; 
Ruth  3:13,"  well ")  is  here  a  commendatory  exclamation 
not  confined  to  oriental  nations=Very  good  !  Excellent  ! 
(Comp.  I  Cor.  4  :  5),  "  have  praise.")— B.  Few  things. 
The  gifts  of  God  in  this  life,  however  undeserved  and 
precious,  are  inconsiderable  when  compared  with  the 
exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory  (2  Cor.  4:17;  Rom. 
8:18)  which  will  be  the  portion  of  the  good  and  faithful 
=those  who  have  been  renewed  and  sanctified  by  grace 
on  earth. — C.  I  will  .  .  .  things.  For  the  sense,  see 
above,  24 :  47,  A.  and  B. — D.  The  joy,  etc.  A  some- 
what similar  expression  in  Esther  9  :  17,  18,  19,  22,  and 
the  image  employed  by  the  Lord  in  Matt.  8  :  11,  E., 
both  indicate  that  the  joy  here  mentioned  is  an  allusion 
to  a  banquet  employed  as  a  familiar  illustration  of  the 
highest  degree  of  enjoyment  which  can  fall  to  the  lot  of 
a  human  being  (see  ver.  30,  below). 

"'  ^^  And  he  also  that  received  the  two  talents  came  and  said.  Lord,  thou 
deliveredst  unto  me  two  talents;  lo,  I  have  gained  other  two  talents. — His 
Lord  said  unto  him.  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant ;  thou  hast  been 
faithful  over  a  few  things,  I  will  set  thee  over  many  things  :  enter  thou  into 
the  joy  of  thy  lord. 

Two  very  important  lessons  are  here  taught :  first,  the 
advantages,  opportunities,  etc.,  granted  by  the  Lord  to 
different  individuals,  vary  in  amount  or  extent  ;  the 
actual  results  of  the  labors  of  many  may  seem  to  be  in- 
significant (comp.  10  :  42,  B.,  D.).  As  God,  however,  does 
not,  like  an  earthly  lord  or  king,  really  need  the  aid  of  any 


278  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxv.  24. 

man,  the  spirit  of  faith  and  love  in  which  the  widow  gave 
her  last  mite  (Mark  12  :  41,  ff.)  was  as  acceptable  in  His 
eyes  as  that  of  any  wealthy  and  liberal  contributors  could 
be.  The  outward  form  of  the  probation  in  this  life  is 
immaterial,  provided  that  the  result,  demonstrating  holy 
purposes,  is  favorable.  Secondly,  the  language  of  the 
Judge  on  the  last  day,  and  the  reward  which  He  bestows, 
will  depend  (ver.  23)  on  the  fidelity  and  zeal  of  the  indi- 
vidual exclusively,  and  not  on  the  actual  amount  of  his 
labors  on  earth.  While  Peter's  labors,  and  especially 
those  of  Paul,  are  described  in  the  Acts  as  exceedingly 
rich  in  results,  several  of  the  apostles,  who  doubtless 
labored  as  faithfully,  disappear  from  the  historical  pages 
of  the  N.  T.  at  a  very  early  period.  Nevertheless,  in  all 
such  cases  the  eternal  reward  may  be  equally  great  and 
glorious. 

^■^  And  he  also  that  had  received  tlie  one  talent  came  and  said,  Lord,  I 
knew  thee  that  thou  art  a  hard  man,  reaping  where  thou  didst  not  sow,  and 
gathering  where  thou  didst  not  scatter. 

A.     Then  he  .  .  .  talent^not   one  individual   will   be 

able  to  escape  on  the  great  day  of  reckoning. — B.  1  knew 
thee,  etc — }AaxA=]iarsJi,  stern.  Scattered  is  here  applied 
either  to  the  act  of  scattering  the  chaff  by  winnowing 
(3  :  12),  or,  more  probably,  to  a  particular  mode  of  dis- 
tributing seed=sowing  (comp.  cast  abroad,  scatter,  cast 
in,  in  Isai.  28  :  25  ;  in  either  case  it  represents  the  master 
as  both  grasping  and  also  unjust  or  dishonest.  So,  too, 
many  thoughtless  men  seem  to  regard  the  duties  of 
religion  as  tasks  to  be  performed  for  God's  benefit,  while 
in  reality  the  whole  benefit  is  assigned  to  the  diligent 
and  obedient.  Since  Christ  describes  the  master  as  a 
judicious,  generous  and  just  man,  how  did  the  servant 
know  him  to  be  a  Jiard  master  ?  That  servant's  sloth 
and   other  evil  traits   of  character   had  previously  taught 


XXV.  2  5-]  CHAPTER  XXV.  279 

him  to  experience  the  justice  of  his  master  rather  than 
his  bounty.  So  the  unconverted  and  wicked,  whose  own 
consciences  rebuke  them,  regard  God  rather  as  a  master 
who  condemns  and  punishes  than  as  a  gracious  lord  re- 
warding the  faithful.  As  servants  of  sin,  they  know  only 
the  justice  of  God;  His  tender  love  they  never  sought, 
whereas  the  obedient  "  have  boldness  in  the  day  of 
judgment — perfect  love  casteth  out  fear"  (i  John  4  :  17, 
18). 

^*  And  I  was  afraid,  and  went  away  and  hid  thy  talent  in  the  earth  :  lo, 
thou  hast  thine  own. 

A.  Afraid=of  losing  the  talent,  and  of  being  punished. 
This  servant  is  not  an  avowed  enemy,  but  one  who  owns 
that  he  is  in  his  master's  power.  He  represents,  not  the 
unblushing  infidel  or  grossly  immoral  scorner  of  religion, 
but  rather  a  class  of  indolent  and  worldly-minded  people 
(see  ver.  18).  They  indulge  the  flesh,  disregard  the 
claims  of  religion,  and  lay  up  no  treasure  in  heaven  ;  when 
conscience  rebukes  them,  they  attempt  to  tranquillize  it 
by  the  impious  thought  that  God  exacts  more  than  the 
position  and  circumstances  of  His  creatures  sanction.  It 
is  not  love  to  God  and  moral  purity,  but  a  mere  servile 
fear  of  punishment  ("  afraid  "),  that  withholds  them  from 
excesses  or  vicious  outward  acts.  The  conduct  of  those 
who  hesitate  to  assume  personally  and  decidedly  the  duties 
of  religion  by  an  open  confession  of  Christ  and  a  public 
union  with  His  Church,  is  also  illustrated  by  this  man 
who  was  "  afraid  "  to  do  his  duty. — B.  Hid.  He  did  not 
appropriately  apply  it.  The  time  and  the  opportunities 
for  glorifying  God,  and  for  growing  in  grace,  granted  to 
each  individual,  are  slighted  and  misapplied  by  those 
whom  this  servant  represents.  We  must  hereafter 
answer  not  only  for  the  evil  which  we  have  done,  but 
also   for  the  good  which  we   have  left   undone. — C.     Lo, 


28o  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxv.  26. 

thou,  etc.  Such  persons  seem  by  their  conduct  to 
address  God  thus  :  We  have  not  desired  Thee  ;  we  have 
not  been  idolaters,  murderers,  thieves  ;  we  have,  on  the 
contrary,  been  moral  and  honest  ;  we  have  been  good 
neighbors  ;  we  have  read  our  Bible,  visited  the  sanctuary, 
etc.  But  is  this  (?// that  God  requires?  Is  this  all  that 
Paul  means,  when  he  says:  "To  me  to  live  is  Christ "? 
(Phil.  I  :  21);  that  is,  thine  oivn^zW  that  thou  oughtest 
to  expect,  as  in  20 :  14.  But  the  Lord  justly  claimed 
more  than  this  sum  of  money  ;  the  time  and  strength  of 
the  servant  also  belonged  to  the  Master ;  of  the  fruits 
which  these  should  have  produced,  the  servant  had 
defrauded  him. 

^*  But  his  lord  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Thoit  wicked  and  slothful 
servant,  thou  knewest  that  I  reap  where  I  sowed  not,  and  gather  where  I 
did  not  scatter. 

A.  His  lord  .  .  .  him.  Although  no  positive  dishon- 
esty is  related,  he  is  charged  as  "  wicked  and  slothful." 
The  term  wicked  (applied  to  another  servant,  18  :  32) 
plainly  shows  here  that  the  omission  of  duty  is  not  sim- 
ply a  negative  evil,  but  a  positive  transgression  of  the 
divine  will,  and  actual  li'tckcdiicss. — B.  Thou  knewest, 
etc.  The  words  form  an  indirect  question=Didst  thou 
know — or,  Didst  thou  think  that,  etc.?  The  whole  lan- 
guage of  the  servant  was  as  insulting  as  it  was  untrue. 
His  master  replies  in  the  following  terms,  resembling 
those  occurring  in  another  but  similar  parable  (Luke  19: 
22,  and  see  above,  ver.  14,  A.).  By  thy  own  confession 
"  much  shall  be  required  "  by  me  (Luke  12  :  48),  and  such 
a  belief  on  thy  part  should  have  roused  thee  and  prompted 
thee  to  make  zealous  efforts.  No  excuse  will  be  admitted 
on  the  last  day  by  the  Judge  for  any  transgressions  pro- 
ceeding from  false  religious  views.  Inasmuch  as  we  are 
abundantly   enabled   to   become    "  sound    in    the   faith  " 


XXV.  27,  28.]  CHAPTER  XXV.  281 

(Tit.  1:13;  2  Tim.  i  :  13),  religious  errors  and  delusions 
increase  the  guilt  of  the  offender. 

^'  Thou  oughtest  therefore  to  have  put  my  money  to  the  bankers,  and  at 
my  coming  I  should  have  received  back  mine  own  with  interest. 

The  bankers  here  mentioned  were  persons  who  received 
money  on  deposit  at  interest,  in  order  to  loan  it  to  others 
at  a  still  higher  rate.  The  extortions  which  money- 
lenders practised  gave  an  odious  sense,  in  the  course  of 
time,  to  the  word  usury  =A\\q^2\  interest.  The  spiritual 
sense  is  :  Thou  hast  not  only  not  sought  after  eminent 
attainments  in  knowledge,  faith  and  love,  but  thou  hast 
not  even  attempted  to  fulfil  with  an  honest  heart  the 
lowest  and  most  ordinary  duties  of  religion.  If  we 
Christians  cannot  all  personally  preach  the  Gospel  to 
heathen  nations,  visit  the  sick,  provide  for  all  the  poor, 
etc.,  we  can  at  least  avail  ourselves  of  Bible,  mission  and 
other  benevolent  societies  and  Church  institutions,  by 
making  them  our  "  exchangers  "^agents,  almoners,  etc. 
It  is  the  intention  of  the  heart,  the  honest  desire  to  live 
and  labor  for  God's  honor,  to  which  the  Judge  will  look. 

^*  Take  ye  away  therefore  the  talent  from  him,  and  give  it  unto  him  that 
hath  the  ten  talents. 

Possibly  angels  are  here  addressed,  whose  ministry  is 
described  in  13  :  41,  49.  The  sense  is:  The  mere  out- 
ward morality  of  man,  which  proceeds  not  from  an  in- 
ternal living  principle  of  faith  (Rom.  14  :  23),  but  from 
other  influences  (decorum,  the  civil  law,  the  usages  of 
society,  etc.),  will  be  utterly  discarded  by  the  Supreme 
Judge  ("  take  from  him  ").  While  such  morality  is  doubt- 
less, in  its  outward  form,  preferable  to  open  vice,  any 
merit  which  it  may  seem  to  possess  is  really  due  to  the 
invisible  but  resistless  influence  of  religion  in  the  world 
and  to  the  acknowledged  excellence  of  its  precepts= 
"  give  it,  etc." 


282  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.         [xxv.  29-31. 

^^9  For  unto  every  one  that  hath  shall  be  given,  and  he  shall  have  abun- 
dance :  but  from  him  that  hath  not  even  that  which  he  hath  shall  be  taken 
away. 

For  the  explanation  of  these  words,  see  ann.  to  13  : 
12,  A. 

^•^  And  cast  ye  out  the  unprofitable  servant  into  the  outer  darkness  :  there 
shall  be  the  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth. 

See  ann.  to  8  :  12  for  the  explanation. — Unprofitable, 
The  connection  in  which  the  same  word  in  the  original 
occurs  in  Luke  17  :  10  shows  that  its  ordinary  meaning 
of  useless,  luitiioiit  value,  is  to  be  retained  here  also. 
Impenitence,  spiritual  sloth,  and  the  neglect  to  seek 
Christ  are  all  traits  of  conduct  that  bring  down  God's 
punishment  (see  8:12,  B.). 

3'  But  when  the  .Son  of  man  shall  come  in  his  glory,  and  all  the  angels 
with  him,  then  shall  he  sit  upon  the  throne  of  his  glory. 

A.  At  this  point  the  last  division  of  the  discourse 
commences;  the  Lord  had  already  referred  (24  :  27-31) 
to  His  second  coming  (which  will  be  followed  by  the 
resurrection  of  all  the  dead  and  the  General  Judgment), 
but  had  temporarily  suspended  His  remarks  on  that  sub- 
ject (see  above,  ch.  24,  Prel.  Obs.  F.  §  5,  {e).  He  now 
completes  His  remarks.  That  the  judgment  of  all  the 
individuals  of  the  human  species  is  here  meant  is  a  truth 
proved  by  the  words  "  all  nations"  (ver.  32  ;  see  Rom.  3  : 
6  ;  John  5  :  28,  29)  ;  at  that  time,  according  to  Matt.  24  : 
14,  and  many  passages  in  the  prophets,  like  Hab.  2  :  14, 
no  heathen  nations  will  have  remained  to  which  the  Gos- 
pel had  not  at  least  been  "preached  "  (comp.  John  10  : 
16;  Rom.  II  :  25).  Even  those  heathen  nations  which 
had  appeared  on  earth  and  passed  away  long  before  the 
birth  of  Christ  will  also  be  judged  ;  their  case  is  consid- 
ered in  Rom.  i  :  18,  ff. — B.  The  following  passage  is, 
on  the  one  hand,  not  a  mere  parable  intended  only  to  il- 


XXV.  32.]  CHAPTER  XXV.  283 

lustrate  some  general  truth,  but  rather  a  prediction  of 
certain  {vi\.\xxQ  events ;  yet,  on  the  other  hand,  figurative 
expressions  ("  sheep— goats  "),  as  well  as  illustrations 
furnished  by  the  oriental  mode  of  administering  justice, 
are  introduced,  even  as  in  8  :  11,  12  ;  9:36,  the  figurative 
terms  convey  additional  information,  without  converting 
the  facts  themselves  into  mere  figures  of  speech. — C.  As 
the  circumstances  here  described  belong  to  the  future, 
they  are,  as  in  all  prophetic  descriptions,  purposely  veiled. 
— D.  When  the  Son,  etc.  (see  16:27;  24:30,  31). — 
Throne  of  his  glory=be  revealed  in  His  divine  glory  as 
the  Saviour  and  Lord  of  all  ;  throne  (comp.  19  :  28,  D.). 
The  time  Mdien  the  General  Judgment  which  is  here  de- 
scribed will  be  held  is  concealed  from  men  ;  such  a  con- 
viction of  the  absolute  uncertainty  of  "  the  times  or  the 
seasons "  (Acts  1:7)  is  regarded  by  Paul  as  a  part  of 
the  Christian's  creed  (i  Thess.^  5  :  i,  seq.).  That  the 
judgment  will  occur  at  the  end  of  the  world  had  already 
been  taught  in  13  :  40,  49,  and  in  ch.  24. 

'^  And  before  him  shall  be  gathered  all  the  nations  :  and  he  shall  separate 
them  one  from  another,  as  a  shepherd  separateth  the  sheep  from  the  goats. 

A.  All  nations.  This  language  is  so  comprehensive 
and  emphatic,  and  it  so  carefully  excludes  all  limitations 
as  to  generations  or  countries,  that  the  words  all 
nations  are  clearly  to  be  understood  literally==all  human 
beings  that  ever  lived  on  earth,  irrespective  of  their  Jewish 
or  Gentile  origin. — B.  He  shall  .  .  .  another.  These 
terms  also,  which  describe  a  promiscuous  assembly,  the 
individuals  of  which  are  not  yet  arranged  according  to 
classes,  distinctly  teach  that  the  Judge  will  call  before 
him  all  men,  the  good  and  the  evil.  The  act  of  separat- 
ing is  here  introduced  as  equivalent  to  the  whole  process 
of  the  Judgment,  namely,  the  trial  of  each  individual  and 
the  decision  of  the  Judge  in  each  case.     Additional  reve- 


284  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.         [xxv.  33,  34. 

lations  concerning  the  Judgment  are  found  in  Rom.  2  : 
5-9;  2  Thess.  I  :  6-10.— C.  As  a  shepherd,  etc.  All 
men  (including  heathen,  Rom.  i  :  20)  have  been  suffi- 
ciently endowed  in  order  to  constitute  them  responsible 
agents.  Sheep  and  goats — the  images  here  employed — 
were  alike  regarded  by  the  law  as  suitable  for  being 
ofTered  as  sacrifices  to  God  (Lev.  i  :  10;  5:6;  22  :  19); 
flocks  of  both  kinds  usually  fed  together  (Gen.  30  :  33  ; 
32  :  14).  The  latter,  however,  were  deemed  to  be  less 
valuable  than  the  former  (Luke  15  :  29),  and  their  temper, 
which  was  less  tractable  than  that  of  the  sheep,  fitted 
them,  as  in  this  case,  to  be  images  of  men  who  are  dis- 
obedient to  God.  The  good  shepherd  (John  10  :  1-18) 
who  gave  His  life  "  for  all  "  (2  Cor.  5  :  14  ;  Rom.  5  :  18) 
"  is  the  Saviour  of  all  men,  specially  of  those  that  be- 
lieve "  (i  Tim.  4  :  10). 

'^  And  he  shall  set  the  sheep, on  his  right  hand,  but  the  goats  on  the  left. 

This  arrangement  indicates  the  distinct  and  complete 
separation  [Augustine  dwells  here  on  the  thought  that 
there  is  no  third  place :  "  He  who  will  not  be  found  on 
the  right  must  be  found  on  the  left  "]  of  the  two  classes 
of  human  beings  on  the  Day  of  Judgment.  There  is  also 
possibly  an  allusion  to  the  higher  honor  assigned  (71  some 
cases  to  the  right  hand,  when  it  is  specially  contrasted 
with  the  left  (see  Gen.  48  :  13-19;  Eccl.  10  :  2,  but  comp. 
also  20  :  20,  B. ;  22  :  44,  B. ;  26  :  64,  C.). 

^  Then  shall  the  king  say  unto  them  on  his  right  hand,  Come,  ye  blessed 
of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  foundation  of 
the  world. 

A,     The  king.     Christ  assigns   this   name  to   Himself, 

because  His  divine  glory  shall  be  so   fully  revealed  that 

all,  whether  willingly  or  unwillingly,  must  bow  the  knee 

before  Him  (Phil.  2  :  10),  and  confess  the  truth  that   He 

has  all  power  in   heaven   and   in  earth  (28  :  18). — B.     Ye 


XXV.  35-  36]  CHAPTER  XXV.  285 

blessed  of  my  Father=whom  My  Father  blessed  on  earth 
(Eph.  I  :  3),  and  blesses  now ;  a  construction  similar  to 
that  of  the  original  occurs  in  John  6  :  45,  "  taught  of  (by) 
God,"  and  in  i  Cor.  2:13,  which,  literally  translated,  is  : 
"  words  taught  by  human  wisdom — ^taught  by  the  Holy 
Ghost." — C.  Inherit.  This  word,  primarily  alluding  to 
property  received  from  a  father  or  ancestor,  represents  the 
believers  as  cJiildrcn  of  God  ;  St.  Paul  now  adds :  "  if 
children,  then  heirs;  heirs  of  God,  etc."  (Rom.  8  :  17; 
see  also  above,  5  :  5,  B.). — D.  Kingdom=the  blessedness 
enjoyed  in  heaven  by  those  who  dwell  eternally  in  God's 
presence  (see  EXCURSUS  I.  vol.  I.). — E.  Prepared,  etc. 
The  allusion  is  to  the  gracious  purpose  of  God  in  devising 
a  plan  of  salvation  for  fallen  men,  even  before  sin  and 
death  entered  the  world,  as  set  forth  in  Eph.  i  :  3-5  ;  2 
Thess.  2  :  13,  14  ;  James  2  :  5  ;  i  Peter  i  :  2. — Prepared 
(see  20  :  23,  B.). — Foundation — world  (see  13  :  35,  E.). 

35'  36  Yox  I  was  an  hungered,  and  ye  gave  me  meat :  I  was  thirsty,  and  ye 
gave  me  drink  :  I  was  a  stranger,  and  ye  took  me  in : — Naked,  and  ye  clothed 
me  :  1  was  sick,  and  ye  visited  me  :  I  was  in  prison,  and  ye  came  unto  me. 

Here  the  reasons  for  which  the  redeemed  are  regarded 
as  "  righteous "  (ver.  37)  and  received  into  heaven  are 
stated.  The  doctrine  implied  is  the  following:  "A  man 
is  justified  by  faith  without  the  deeds  of  the  law"  (Rom. 
3  :  28  ;  Gal.  2:16;  Eph.  2  :  8,  9).  This  justifying  faith, 
however,  is  a  living  or  active  faith ;  a  nominal  faith 
which  has  not  power  to  produce  fruit=works,  is  of  no 
value  ;  faith  is  made  perfect  (demonstrated)  by  works 
(James  2  :  22)  in  the  sense  that  a  true  faith  cannot  pos- 
sibly exist  without  producing  as  its  evidence  the  holy 
life  described  in  Rom.  12  :  i,  2,  for  "every  good  tree 
bringeth  forth  good  fruit  "  (7  :  17);  the  failure  of  the 
latter  proves  that  the  former  was  not  *'  good."  Hence 
Paul  says  that  the  law  is  not  made  void  but  established 


286  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxv.  36. 

through  faith  (Rom.  3:31).  Now,  justifying  faith  in- 
fluences man's  whole  nature,  and  so  effectually  purifies 
the  heart  (Acts  15  19),  that,  according  to  Gal.  5  :  6,  it 
cannot  be  said  to  exist  in  reality,  when  it  fails  to  pro- 
duce, among  other  fruits,  a  genuine  love  to  man  (i  Cor. 
13:2).  Indeed,  love,  the  offspring  of  faith,  existing  only 
when  faith  appears  in  full  power,  is  regarded  as  indubi- 
table evidence  of  the  existence  of  faith.  If,  then,  the 
Saviour  represents  genuine  love  as  the  characteristic 
feature  of  His  disciples  in  John  13  :  35,  He  does  so 
because  its  presence  demonstrates  the  presence  of  that 
faith  which  He  declares  in  Mark  16:  16  to  be  essential  to 
salvation.  When  Paul,  again,  describes  the  operation  of 
love,  and  remarks  that  "  he  that  loveth  another  hath 
fulfilled  the  law  "  (Rom.  13  :  8-10),  he  describes  a  course 
of  conduct  which  is  really  the  result  of  a  living  faith 
(comp.  Rom.  8  :  4).  In  the  same  manner,  the  doctrine 
that  men  shall  be  judged  hereafter  according  to  their 
works  or  deeds  (Matt.  7  :  21  ;  16  :  27  ;  Rom.  2:6;  2 
Cor.  5  :  10)  is  founded  on  the  principle  that  these  works, 
as  indications  of  the  spiritual  state,  derive  their  good  or 
evil  character  solely  from  the  presence  or  absence  of  a 
living  faith  in  the  soul.  The  same  truth,  that  God 
regards  not  merely  the  outward  form  of  works,  but  con- 
siders the  internal  principle  from  which  they  proceed, 
and  requires  love  to  man  as  an  evidence  of  a  devout 
heart,  is  repeatedly  proclaimed  by  the  prophets  (Isai. 
58  :  6,  7;  Micah  6  :  6-8).  The  Lord  therefore  mentions 
works  of  love  in  the  present  case  as  evidences  of  the 
justifying  or  saving  faith  of  those  whom  He  addresses. 
— An  hungered  (see  4  :  2,  C). — Stranger  .  .  .  took  me  in 
=into  your  houses,  sheltered  Me  when  I  was  a  homeless 
wanderer. — Naked,  here=^insufficiently  clad,  as  in  James 
2  :  15  ;    Job    22  :  6.    The  word    sometimes,    as    in   John 


XXV.  37-39-]  CHAPTER  XXV.  287 

21  :  7;  Acts  19  :  16;  i  Sam.  19  :  24,  means  half-naked 
=without  the  upper  garment,  sometimes  entirely  nude, 
as,  possibly,  Mark  14  :  51. — Visited,  as  in  James  i  ;  27= 
visited  for  the  purpose  of  affording  substantial  aid  and 
comfort. — In  prison=ye  did  not,  through  want  of  deli- 
cate and  tender  love,  or  through  fear,  desert  Me  when  I 
was  afflicted  and  persecuted.  The  earthly  trials  and 
sorrows  of  God's  people  are  evidences  of  His  love  (Hebr. 
12  :  6). 

37_39  Then  shall  the  righteous  answer  him,  saying,  Lord,  when  saw  we 
thee  an  hungered,  and  fed  thee  ?  or  athirst,  and  gave  thee  drink  ? — And 
when  saw  we  thee  a  stranger,  and  took  thee  in  ?  or  naked,  and  clothed 
thee  ? — And  when  saw  we  thee  sick,  or  in  prison,  and  came  unto  thee  .'' 

A.  Righteous=those  who  are  justified  by  faith  (see 
I  :  19,  B.,  and  above,  ann.  to  ver.  35,  36). — B.  Shall 
(will) — answer.  This  conversation,  like  the  one  between 
Abraham  and  the  rich  man,  in  the  parable  (Luke  16  :  24, 
ff.),  is  introduced  in  a  figurative  manner,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  setting  forth  the  thoughts  or  sentiments  enter- 
tained by  those  who  are  found  in  the  circumstances  here 
described. — C  When  saw  we,  etc.  ?  Two  important 
truths  here  especially  claim  attention  :  first,  this 
language,  which  is  plainly  represented  as  proceeding 
from  unaffected  surprise  and  not  from  a  pretended 
humility,  indicates,  on  the  one  hand,  the  amazement  of 
the  speakers  at  the  glory  and  honor  bestowed  upon  them, 
which  will  far  exceed  the  hopes  which  they  had  enter- 
tained on  earth  ;  it  alludes,  on  the  other  hand,  to  the 
many  unexpected  discoveries  which  believers  themselves 
will  make  on  the  Day  of  Judgment  ;  they,  too,  labored  on 
earth  under  the  influence  of  many  defective  views  and 
even  errors  of  judgment,  and  descended  into  the  grave 
while  they  were  still  ignorant  of  many  important  facts 
respecting  themselves.       The   language,    secondly,   illus- 


288  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxv.  40. 

trates  the  Lord's  command  in  6  :  3,  and  implies  that  the 
true  disciple  of  Christ  is  conscious  only  of  his  defects  and 
sins,  while  he  has  through  grace  become  free  from  all 
spiritual  pride  arising  from  the  performance  of  "  good 
works." 

*°  And  the  King  shall  answer  and  say  unto  them,  Verily  I  say  unto  you, 
Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  unto  one  of  these  my  brethren,  even  these  least,  ye 
did  it  unto  me. 

It  was  a  high  honor  conferred  on  the  human  race  when 
the  eternal  Son  of  God  assumed  human  nature  (Hebr. 
2  :  14),  and,  in  this  respect,  became  our  equal^our 
brother.  But  it  was,  further,  a  direct  and  unspeakable 
blessing  when,  through  His  atoning  work  and  the  gift 
of  His  Spirit,  He  renewed  and  sanctified  His  people,  so 
that  they  might  become  "  partakers  of  the  divine  nature  " 
(2  Peter  i  :  4),  and  be  converted  into  children  of  God 
(Rom.  8:15;  Gal.  4  :  6).  Thus  He  who  was  eternally 
the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus,  the  only-begotten  Son 
(John  3  :  16),  became  in  another,  but  also  in  an  emphatic 
sense,  our  Father  (John  20  :  17),  "  for  which  cause  he  is 
not  ashamed  to  call  them  brethren  "  (Hebr.  2  :  11). 
Hence  the  present  phrase,  my  brethren,  is  not,  as  in 
28  :  10,  applied  by  the  Saviour  to  the  company  of  the 
disciples  only,  but,  as  in  Hebr.  2  :  17,  to  all  true  believers 
also.  The  exalted  degree  of  glory  of  the  redeemed,  and 
the  manner  in  which  they  will  be  "  like  "  Christ,  is  not 
yet  fully  revealed  (i  John  3  :  2).  The  present  language, 
in  which  the  Lord  seems  even  to  identify  Himself  with 
His  followers,  is  expressive  of  the  highest  degree  of  in- 
finite love.  So  absorbing  is  the  Saviour's  love  to  His 
people,  that  any  service  rendered  to  one  of  them  on 
earth  pleases  Him  as  if  He  had  been  in  want  and  distress, 
and  had  been  personally  relieved. — Even  these  least. 
The    Lord    had,   while   He    dwelt    on    earth,   repeatedly 


XXV.  4i]  CHAPTER  XXV.  289 

termed  His  followers  "  little  ones"  (10:42,  A.;  18:6, 
B.).  With  overflowing  love,  He  here  alludes  to  that 
name,  and  implies  that  even  he  who  may  have  seemed  to 
men  to  occupy  the  very  lowest  or  most  obscure  position, 
or  had  even  undeservedly  (i  Peter  3  :  17),  like  the 
apostles,  been  "  made  the  filth  of  the  world  "  (i  Cor.  4  : 
13),  had  become,  by  his  faith,  very  precious  to  his  Lord. 
— These=this  whole  number,  on  the  right  hand.  The 
doctrine  that  the  two  natures  of  Christ  are  united  in- 
separably and  eternally  is  illustrated  and  confirmed  by 
His  use  of  the  word  "brethren,"  as  well  as  in  Acts  7  : 
55;  9:4. 

■*'  Then  shall  he  say  also  unto  them  on  the  left  hand,  Depart  from  me,  ye 
cursed,  into  the  eternal  fire,  which  is  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his 
angels  : 

A.  Ye  cursed.  To  be  cursed,  in  the  emphatic  and 
awful  sense  of  the  term,  is  to  be  consigned  irremediably 
to  punishment  and  ruin  (comp.  Mark  11  :  21).  All  the 
world  is  guilty  before  God  (Rom.  3  :  19)  ;  we  are  by 
nature  the  children  of  wrath  (Eph.  2:3);  Christ  came  to 
deliver  us  from  the  wrath  to  come  (i  Thess.  i  :  10  ;  see 
3  :  7,  C).  Now,  impenitent  and  unbelieving  sinners  not 
only  remain  in  their  original  condition,  but  also  by  their 
personal  transgressions  treasure  up  unto  themselves 
wrath  against  the  day  of  wrath  (Rom.  2:5;  Col.  3  :  6), 
and,  accordingly,  "  the  wrath  of  God  abideth  on  them 
(John  3  :  36) — they  are  the  "  cursed  "  ones  (see  2  Thess. 
I  :  7-10). — B.  Eternal  fire.  For  this  expression,  see  5  : 
25,  26,  C,  and  comp.  18:8,  9,  C,  and  ver.  34,  C,  where 
additional  passages  are  quoted  which  teach  the  absolute 
eternity  of  the  future  punishments  of  the  wicked.  The 
words  at  the  close  of  this  address  (ver.  46)  convincingly 
set  forth  the  same  awful  truth  ;  for  if  the  "  life  "==the 
blessedness  of  the  redeemed,  is  "  eternal  "=never  ends, 
19 


290  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.         [xxv.  42,  43. 

then  (as  the  same  Greek  word  occurs  in  both  members  of 
the  verse)  the  "  punishment  "  of  the  wicked  never  ends. 
— Fire  (comp.  2  Thess.  i  :  8,  and  see  above,  5  :  22,  G.). — 
C.  Prepared  for,  etc.  Very  httle  is  revealed  respecting 
the  history  of  the  fallen  angels  and  the  nature  of  their 
punishment.  From  the  passages  mentioned  in  ann.  to 
8  :  29,  E.,  we  learn  that  while  their  present  state  is  one 
of  great  misery,  their  sentence  will  be  still  more  explicitly 
pronounced  on  the  last  day.  No  human  beings  were 
originally  subjected  to  any  degree  of  reprobation  ;  the 
Scriptures  speak  of  a  "  Book  of  Life  "  (Phil.  4:3;  Rev. 
3:5;  Ps.  69  :  28),  but  never  of  a  book  of  death  ;  hence 
this  punishment  had  been  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his 
angels,  whose  fall  occurred  before  Adam  and  Eve  were 
placed  in  paradise.  But  when  the  latter  also  disobeyed 
God,  and  sin  had  entered  the  world,  and  when  impenitent 
men  consented  to  be  the  servants  of  Satan,  they,  like 
his  angels,  made  themselves  partakers  of  his  everlasting 
punishment  (John  12  :  31  ;  14  :  30;  16  :  1 1  ;  2  Cor.  4:4; 
Eph.  6  :  12). 

43'  4«  por  I  was  an  hungered,  and  ye  gave  me  no  meat :  I  was  thirsty,  and 
ye  gave  me  no  drink  :  I  was  a  stranger,  and  ye  took  me  not  in  :  naked,  and 
ye  clothed  me  not :  sick,  and  in  prison,  and  ye  visited  me  not. 

Even  as  in  ver.  35,  36,  the  works  of  love  performed  by 
the  righteous  are  declared  to  be  evidences  of  their  saving 
faith,  so  here  the  absence  of  Christian  love  is  regarded  as 
the  evidence  of  a  want  of  that  faith  without  which  it  is 
impossible  to  please  God  (Hebr.  11  :  6).  The  sense  evi- 
dently is  :  Your  entire  want  of  love  demonstrates  that 
you  were  not  the  children  of  God — you  did  not  resemble 
Him  (comp.  5  :  44,  45).  A  striking  illustration  of  the 
pernicious  character  of  those  sins  to  which  the  world 
often  gives  the  palliating  name  of  "  mere  sins  of  omis- 
sion." 


XXV.  44-46]  CHAPTER  XXV.  29 1 

^  Then  shall  they  also  answer  him,  saying,  Lord,  when  saw  we  thee  an 
hungered,  or  athirst,  or  a  stranger,  or  naked,  or  sick,  or  in  prison,  and  did 
not  minister  unto  thee  ? 

The  impenitent  often  tranquillize  their  conscience  in 
this  life  by  frivolous  arguments  derived  from  their  external 
morality,  good  resolutions,  etc. ;  but  they  overlook  the 
fact  that  God  recognizes  only  two  classes  of  men,  His 
friends  and  His  enemies  (Rom.  6  :  16;  James  4:4;  see 
12  :  30,  B.  ;  13  :  43,  A.).  Many  descend  with  their  self- 
delusion  into  the  grave,  who  will  only  after  their  death, 
as  here  described,  learn  with  wonder  and  despair  that  they 
had  totally  mistaken  the  true  nature  of  religion.  As  the 
righteous  were  not  fully  conscious  of  the  high  value  which 
the  Judge  assigned  to  works  of  love  as  evidences  of  faith, 
so  the  irnpenitent  and  wicked  are  not  aware  of  the  extent 
of  their  guilt.  They  imply :  Lord,  we  would  certainly 
have  relieved  Thee  under  such  circumstances,  if  we  had 
found  the  opportunity.  But  does  any  one  lack  the  oppor- 
tunity to  know  and  love  God  and  keep  His  command- 
ments ? — riinister  (see  4:11,  B.). 

*^  Then  shall  he  answer  them,  saying.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Inasmuch  as 
ye  did  it  not  unto  one  of  these  least,  ye  did  it  not  to  me. 

The  Judge  unfolds  to  the  wicked  the  true  nature  of 
their  evil  course,  their  neglect  to  seek  a  new  heart,  etc.  ; 
they  should  have  learned  these  solemn  truths  during  their 
life  on  earth  ;  now,  on  the  day  of  judgment,  the  recognition 
of  their  errors  and  sins  is  too  late  ! — The  least  of  these. 
The  Judge  points  to  those  at  His  right  hand. 

**  And  these  shall  go  away  into  eternal  punishment :  -but  the  righteous 
into  eternal  life. 

(Comp.  John  5  :  29.)  In  the  original  the  same  word 
occurs  in  both  members  of  the  verse,  but  was  translated 
in  the  Authorized  English  N.  T.,  in  the  one  case  "  ever- 
lasting" and  in  the  other  "eternal  "  (see  above,  ver.  41, 


292  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxv.  46. 

B.),  [A  variation  in  the  English  for  purely  stylistic  pur- 
poses that  has  been  often  diligently  used  to  confuse  the 
minds  of  the  people,  who  do  not  know  that  one  and  the 
same  word  was  used  by  the  Lord.  Hence  the  important 
change  in  the  R.  V.]  The  eternal  condition  of  men  in 
the  world  to  come,  as  determined  on  the  Day  of  Judg- 
ment, is  here  revealed.  After  that  solemn  day  no  change 
will  ever  occur  ;  the  righteous  will  "  ever  be  with  the 
Lord"  in  heaven  (i  Thess.  4  :  17),  the  wicked  abide  in 
"shame  and  everlasting  contempt"  (Dan,  12  :  2),  "and 
the  smoke  of  their  torment  ascendeth  up  forever  and 
ever"  (Rev,  14  :  ii).  Their  punishment  will  be  unutter- 
ably great  (18  :  34,  B.).  With  these  solemn  words  the 
Lord  closes  His  discourse. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

'  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Jesus  had  finished  all  these  words,  he  said 
unto  his  disciples, 

These  words=the  several  distinct  addresses,  answers 
and  explanations  which  are  recorded  in  ch.  24  and  25. 
At  this  point 'Matthew  commences  the  recital  of  the 
"  passion  "  (=suffering,  Acts  i  :  3)  of  our  Lord  :  the  term 
includes  His  last  sufferings  and  death  (Luke  22  :  15). 

^  Ye  know  that  after  two  days  the  passover  cometh,  and  the  Son  of  man 
is  delivered  up  to  be  crucified. 

A.  After  two  days.  For  the  sake  of  convenience  the 
modern  names  which  represent  the  first,  second,  etc.,  days 
of  the  week  will  be  employed  in  the  following  explana- 
tions ;  the  Jews  designated  these  days  by  numbers  (Acts 
20  :  7  ;  I  Cor.  16  :  2),  our  Sunday  being  the  Jirs^  day,  and 
the  Sabbath  of  the  Jews  being  the  seventh  or  last  day. 
As  our  Lord  was  crucified  on  a  Friday  (B.  §  5,  below), 
which  began  on  the  previous  evening  at  sunset  (B.  §  2), 
these  words  may  be  understood,  according  to  the  usual 
mode  of  expressing  time  among  the  Jews  (see  12  :  40,  A.), 
as  having  been  uttered  on  the  previous  Tuesday. ^ — B, 
The  feast  of  the  passover,  literally,  after  two  days  is  the 
passover. 

§  I.  Ttvo  distinct  festivals,  so  intimately  connected  in 
their  historical  origin,  religious  purpose  and  time  of 
celebration,  as  to  constitute  in  practice  one  great   festival 

293 


294  "^^^  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxvi.  2. 

of  eight  days,   are   to   be  here  understood   by  the  word 
passover. 

§  2.  The  feast  of  the  Passover,  which  was  instituted 
on  the  occasion  of  the  departure  of  the  IsraeHtes  from 
Egypt,  consisted,  strictly  speaking,  of  only  one  day  of 
twenty-fours ;  "  this  day  shall  be  unto  you  for  a  memo- 
rial ;  and  ye  shall  keep  it  a  feast  to  the  Lord,  etc."  (Exod. 
12  :  14).  It  referred  to  the  Lord's  mercy  in  passiftg  over 
or  passing  by  (=the  transition  of)  those  houses  of  the 
Israelites,  the  door-posts  of  which  had  been  marked  with 
the  blood  of  the  slain  lamb,  and  sparing  the  first-born 
or  eldest  son  of  each  of  such  families  (Exod.  12  :  13); 
hence  originated  the  Hebrew  name,  which,  with  a  slight 
change  occurring  in  the  Greek  mode  of  representing  it, 
assumes  the  form  of  pasclia ;  the  English  translators 
happily  employed  an  English  name,  passover,  somewhat 
resembling  the  Hebrew  in  sound  as  well  as  in  sense.  The 
Hebrew  means  to  leap  over,  pass  by,  spare  (see  Exod.  12  : 
I3»  23,  27,  and  comp.  Josephus,  Antiq.  2,  14,  6).  The 
law  commanded  that  it  should  be  regularly  kept  on  the 
fonrteentJi  day  of  the  first  month  of  the  year  (corre- 
sponding to  the  close  of  our  March  or  the  beginning  of 
April,  Lev.  23  :  5  ;  Exod.  12:6;  Numb.  9  :  2,  3)  ;  it  com- 
menced at  sunset  and  continued  till  the  next  sunset. 
The  Jewish  day  of  twenty-four  hours  began,  not  as  with 
us  at  midnight,  but  on  the  previous  evening,  in  reference 
to  Gen.  I  :  5,  8,  13,  14  (comp.  Lev.  23  :  32.)  The  old 
name  of  the  passover-month  was  Abib  (Exod.  13  :  4  ; 
Deut.  16  :  i),  for  which  the  name  Nisan  was  afterwards 
substituted  (Esth.  3:7;  Neh.  2  :  i).  The  Jewish 
month  invariably  began  with  the  first  appearance  of  the 
new  moon,  and  the  first  day  of  the  month  was  a  festival 
(Numb.  10  :  10;  28  :  1 1  ;   i  Sam.  20  :  5  ;  Isai.  66  :  23),  so 


XXVI.  2.]  CHAPTER  XXVI.  295 

that  the  passover,  fourteen  days  afterwards,  occurred  pre- 
cisely at  the  time  of  full  moon  (27  :45,  B.).  The  paschal 
lamb  was  a  type  or  sign  of  Christ  (John  i  :  29,  36;  Rev. 
5:6;  Isai.  53  :  7),  who  is  called  in  i  Cor.  5:7"  our  pass- 
over^paschal  lamb  (comp.  Deut.  16  :  5,  6).  For  the 
time  of  killing  the  lamb,  see  below,  ver.  17,  C. 

§  3.  As  the  departure  of  the  Israelites  from  Egypt, 
when  they  were  to  take  possession  of  the  "  land  of 
promise"  (Hebr.  11:9;  Gen.  15  :  18),  was  an  event  of 
the  highest  importance  not  only  in  reference  to  their  own 
future  political  history,  but  also  to  the  introduction  of 
Christianity  (Luke  24  :  46, 47  ;  John  4:22;  Rom.  9 :  4,  5), 
God  commanded  that,  like  the  passing-over  of  the  first- 
born, it  should  be  annually  commemorated  immediately 
after  the  passover  or  memorial-day  by  a  special  festival 
called  "  the  feast  of  unleavened  bread  ;  "  to  this  feast 
seven  days  were  assigned  (Exod.  12  :  14,  15).  Thus  the 
double  festival  (Numb.  28  :  16,  17)  extended,  according 
to  Exod.  12  :  18,  from  "the  fourteenth  day  of  the  month 
at  even  .  .  .  until  the  one-and-twentieth  day  of  the 
month  at  even,"  both  included=^2^/^/  days.  The  second 
feast,  when  distinguished  from  the  passover-day  (see 
below,  §  4),  commenced  on  the  fifteenth  of  Nisan,  accord- 
ing to  Lev.  23  :  6;  Numb.  28  :  17,  at  even,  or  at  the 
time  when  the  fourteenth  (the  passover)  ended,  namely, 
when  the  evening  of  the  natural  day  or  the  beginning  of 
the  fifteenth  arrived,  and  it  included  the  twenty-first  day 
of  the  month.  While,  then,  the  passover  specially  com- 
memorated that  sparing  of  the  Jewish  first-born,  the  feast 
of  unleavened  bread  rather  commemorated  the  whole  or 
general  event  of  the  deliverance  of  the  Israelites  from 
Egyptian  bondage  (Exod.  12  :  17  ;  13  :  3  ;  23  :  15).  It 
derived    its    name — feast   of  unleavened  (=sweet,  unfer- 


296  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxvi.  2. 

mented)  bread  {^y.oA.  23  :  15,  17) — from  the  circumstance 
that  God  most  earnestly  commanded  that  leaven  (yeast) 
in  all  its  forms  should  be  removed  from  every  house  dur- 
ing the  festival  (Exod.  12  :  15,  19;  Deut.  16  :  2-4.  For 
leaven,  see  13  :  33,  B.).  As  this  substance,  which  is 
mixed  with  the  dough  before  the  latter  is  baked,  requires 
a  period  of  several  hours  in  order  to  produce  the  desired 
fermentation,  its  entire  absence  was  intended,  as  God 
declared  through  Moses  (Deut.  16  :  3,  4),  to  remind  the 
Jews,  on  the  one  hand,  of  the  "  bread  of  affliction " 
(=daily  affliction  and  sorrow,  Exod.  3  :  7),  of  their  life  in 
Egypt,  and,  on  the  other,  of  the  "  haste  "  with  which 
they  left  Egypt,  when  they  "  baked  unleavened  cakes  of 
the  dough  .  .  .  because  they  were  thrust  out  of  Egypt, 
and  could  not  tarry"  (Exod.  12  :  ii,  33,  39);  for  the 
same  reason  the  flesh  of  the  lamb  was  directed  to  be 
eaten  or  burnt  before  the  next  morning  (Exod.  12  :  10; 
34  :  25).  Thus  when  Abraham  or  Lot  prepared  a  hasty 
meal  for  unexpected  guests,  they  furnished  unleavened 
bread  (Gen.  18:6;   19  :  3). 

§  4.  That  a  distinction  exists  between  these  two  fes- 
tivals, however  closely  they  are  allied  in  time  and  pur- 
pose, is  proved  by  the  language  in  Lev.,  ch.  23,  where,  in 
ver.  5  and  6,  the  time  of  each  respectively  is  stated ; 
the  same  discrimination  is  made  in  Numb.  28  :  16,  17; 
2  Chron.  30  :  15,  21  ;  Ezra  6  :  19,  22.  Hence  Josephus 
says:  "The  feast  of  unleavened  bread  succeeds  that  of 
the  passover,  and  falls  on  the  fifteenth  day  of  the  month, 
and  continues  seven  days  "  (Antiq.  3,  lO,  5).  Neverthe- 
less, as  the  general  purpose  of  both  festivals — the  com- 
memoration of  God's  special  mercies  (Exod.  13  :  9) — was 
the  same,  and  as  no  Interval  of  time  occurred  between 
them,  the  two  were  frequently  regarded  and  described  as 


XXVI.  2.]  CHAPTER  XXVI.  297 

only  one  great  festival  consisting  of  eigJit  days,  one  for 
the  passover,  and  seven  for  the  other  feast.  Hence, 
either  name,  tJie  passover,  or  the  feast  of  nnleavejied 
bread,  was  given  interchangeably  to  this  entire  sacred 
season  or  festival  of  eight  days;  for  instance,  Exod.  13  : 
3;  Numb.  9:2,  ff. ;  Deut.  16  :  i,  ff.  Accordingly, 
Josephus  uses  this  popular  mode  of  expression  when  he 
says :  "  This  happened  at  the  season  when  the  feast  of 
unleavened  bread  was  celebrated,  which  we  call  the  pass- 
over  "  (Antiq.  14,  2,  i,  and  ib.  17,  9,  3).  "  The  feast  of 
unleavened  bread  is  called  the  passover  by  the  Jews " 
(War,  2,  I,  3).  "The  feast  of  unleavened  bread  was  now 
come,  it  being  the  fourteenth  day  of  the  month  "  (War, 
5,  3,  i).  Josephus  also,  in  Antiq.  11,  4,  8,  speaks  of  the 
two  festivals  as  if  they  were  virtually  only  one.  The 
N.  T.  employs  a  similar  phraseology.  In  Acts  12  :  3,  4, 
the  period  of  eight  days  is  called  "  days  of  unleavened 
bread,"  and  immediately  afterwards  "passover"  (which 
word,  however,  the  English  translators  here  render 
"  Easter,"  while  in  the  other  twenty-eight  passages  in 
which  it  occurs  they  render  it  "passover").  So,  in  Luke 
22  :  I,  both  names  occur,  indicating  the  one  period  of 
eight  days.  In  Luke  2  :  41,  the  "  passover"  is  not  the 
one  day  strictly  constituting  that  festival,  but  includes 
the  additional  seven  "days"  (ver.  43)  of  the  connected 
festival.  In  Mark  14  :  i,  both  names  are  with  great  pre- 
cision fully  given,  in  order  to  designate  the  whole  period 
of. eight  days.  Indeed,  so  plainly  does  either  name  in- 
dicate the  whole  sacred  season,  that  even  in  Exod.  23  : 
15;  34:  18:  Deut.  16:  16;  2  Chron.  8  :  13,  one  name 
alone  is  employed,  without  excluding  the  other  festival, 
which  was  also  to  be  perpetually  kept  (Exod.  12  :  14), 

§  5.     This  Jewish  usage  of  giving  either  name  indiffer- 


298  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxvi.  2. 

ently  to  the  whole  period  of  eight  days,  of  which  the 
language  of  Josephus  just  quoted,  and  the  passages  in 
the  N.  T.,  furnish  striking  illustrations,  will  explain 
several  passages  in  the  Gospel  of  John  which  seem  to 
conilict  with  the  other  three  Gospels.  As  the  period 
which  embraced  both  festivals,  from  the  14th  to  the  21st 
of  Nisan,  consisted  of  eight  days,  it  is  here  interesting 
and  important  to  notice  the  fact  that  when  Josephus 
combines  the  two  as  one  actual  festive  season,  he  says : 
"  We  keep  a  feast  for  eigJit  days,  which  is  called  the  feast  of 
unleavened  bread"  (Antiq.  2,  15,  i).  That  our  Lord  ate 
the  paschal  supper  at  the  usual  time,  the  evening  of  the 
14th  of  Nisan,  when  all  the  Jews  kept  the  festival,  is 
apparent  from  Matt.  26:2,  17;  Mark  14:  12;  Luke 
22  :  7,  (That  the  evening  of  the  14th  refers  to  \\\q  first 
hours,  or  the  beginning  of  that  term  of  24  hours,  is  also 
apparent  from  Jos.  Antiq.  2,  14,  6.)  Christ  could  not 
have  adopted  the  extraordinary  course  of  anticipating 
the  day  and  observing  the  passover  24  hours  before  the 
regular  time,  according  to  these  passages  ;  indeed,  the  pre- 
cise terms  in  Exod.  12  :  3,  6,  plainly  require  that  the 
whole  nation  should  simultaneously  keep  the  festival. 
When  the  fo7crteenth  of  the  appointed  month  was 
not  punctually  observed,  the  law  prescribed  that  the 
fourteentli  of  the  succeeding  month  might  be  sub- 
stituted (Numb.  9  :  10,  1 1  ;  2  Chron.  30  :  2,  15),  but  the 
thirteenth  day  was  not  recognized.  It  appears  from 
Numb.  33  :  3  and  Exod.  12  :  22,  compared  with  Exod. 
12  :  31,  that  during  the  daytime,  or  latter  part  of  the 
14th  (when  the  paschal  lamb  had  already  been  eaten  the 
previous  evening  and  the  first-born  of  the  Egyptians  had 
been  slain),  all  the  Israelites  gathered  together,  and  then 
left  Rameses,  the  general  place  of  meeting,  on  the  15th, 
possibly  in  the  evening  (Deut.  16  :  6),  or  before  the  night 


XXVI.  2.]  CHAPTER  XXVI.  299 

succeeding  the  one  in  which  the  first-born  in  Egypt  were 
slain.  "  From  the  time  when  Pharaoh  dismissed  Moses 
and  Aaron  in  the  night  of  the  14th  day  of  the  month 
(according  to  the  Jewish  reckoning)  until  the  morning  of 
the  15th  day,  when  the  people  set  off  (Numb,  33  :  3), 
there  was  an  interval  of  some  30  hours,  during  which  these 
leaders  could  easily  reach  Rameses  from  the  court  of 
Pharaoh,  whether  this  were  at  Memphis,  or,  as  is  more 
probable,  at  Zoan  or  Tanis.  (The  Psalmist  places  the 
scene  of  the  miracles  of  Moses  in  the  region  of  Zoan, 
Ps.  78  :  12,  43.)" — Robinson  :  Bibl.  Res.  I.  55.  (See 
above,  2:13,  C.) 

The  third  day  after  the  crucifixion,  the  one  on  which 
our  Lord  rose  from  the  grave,  was  also  the  day  after  the 
Sabbath,  or  the  first  day  of  the  week  (Sunday,  Mark  16: 
I,  9),  our  Lord  having  been  crucified  on  the  preceding 
Friday,  the  day  before  the  Sabbath  (Mark  1 5  :  42  ;  see 
below,  ver.  17,  A.).  He  had,  according  to  the  first  three 
Gospels,  like  all  the  Jews,  eaten  the  paschal  supper  on 
the  previous  Thursday  evening,  a  few  hours  before  He 
was  betrayed  and  seized.  Now  it  had  been  commanded 
that  on  each  of  the  seven  days  of  the  feast  of  un- 
leavened bread  special  sacrifices  should  be  offered 
(Numb.  28:  17-24);  the  Jews,  on  such  occasions,  also 
brought  "  free-will  offerings,"  portions  of  which  they  ate, 
and  they  "  rejoiced  before  the  Lord  "  (Lev.  23  :  38 ; 
Deut.  27  :  7  ;  comp.  Solomon's  sacrifices  and  religious 
feast,  I  Kings  8  :  62-66).  To  these  successive  days  of 
"  feasting"  or  "  eating  before  the  Lord  "  the  name  pass- 
over  was  also  applied,  in  a  general  or  familiar  sense. 
The  evangelist  John,  who  wrote  his  Gospel  long  after 
the  first  three  had  been  given  to  the  Church,  consequently 
omits  large  masses  of  matter  which  they  record,  and 
supplies  chiefly  events  and  discourses  which  they  omit  ; 


300  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxvi.  2. 

for  instance,  he  describes  the  Lord's  act  of  washing  the 
feet  of  the  disciples  (ch.  13)  without  repeating  their 
narrative  of  the  institution  of  the  Holy  Supper,  which, 
at  the  time  when  he  wrote,  was  familiarly  known  to  all 
Christians.  In  no  case  can  it  be  supposed  that  one  in- 
spired writer  contradicts  another.  Hence  the  words  in 
John  13  :  I,  "before  the  feast  of  the  passover,"  which 
refer  to  the  last  evening  of  the  Lord,  or  the  evening 
(=commencement)  of  the  passover-day,  are  equivalent  to 
the  words  :  before  the  actual  commencement  of  the  feast 
of  seven  days  (Luke  22  :  i)  of  unleavened  bread,  during 
which  the  special  daily  offerings  were  brought.  In  John 
18  :  28,  the  Jews,  who  had  unquestionably  all  eaten  the 
paschal  lamb  on  the  previous  evening,  declined  to  enter 
the  judgment-hall  of  a  heathen  ruler,  which  act  would 
have  defiled  them,  and  unfitted  them  legally  for  *•  eating 
the  passover."  This  latter  phrase  refers  to  the  festive 
or  sacrificial  offerings  and  banquets,  of  which,  as  in  the 
days  of  Hezekiah  and  at  other  times,  they  partook 
("  seven  days,  offering  peace  offerings,  etc.,"  2  Chron. 
30  :  22).  So,  too,  many  thousands  of  animals  were  given 
by  Josiah  and  others  as  "  passover-offerings  "  (2  Chron. 
35  :  7,  fT.).  The  original  Hebrew  in  2  Chron.  30  :  22 
contains  a  phrase  corresponding  to  John's  language,  for 
the  words,  literally  translated,  are  :  "  they  did  eat  the 
feast  "^the  festive  offerings.  So,  too,  in  Ps.  118:27, 
and  in  Exod.  23  :  18,  the  Hebrew  word  translated  sacri- 
fice is  feast  (=festival  sacrifices),  as  the  margin  also 
states  in  the  latter  passage  ;  and  in  Deut.  16  :  2  all  the 
animals  slain  during  the  whole  festival,  whether  of  the 
flock  or  of  the  herd,  are  called  collectively,  as  here  in 
John,  "the  passover."  In  John  19  :  14  the  phrase, 
"  the  preparation  of  the  passover,"  which  here  designates 
Friday,  the  day  of  the  crucifixion,  and  the  day  succeed- 


XXVI.  2.]  CHAPTER  XXVI. 


301 


ing  the  general  eating  of  the  paschal  lamb,  is  readily 
explained  from  ver,  31,  42,  of  the  same  chapter.  The 
name  of  the  sixth  day  of  the  week  (Friday),  on  which 
food,  etc.,  was  prepared  for  the  Sabbath-day  (Exod.  16  : 
22  ;  35  :  2,  3),  was  currently  called  "  preparation-day." 
Thus,  in  an  imperial  decree  quoted  by  Josephus,  the 
Jewish  phrases  of  which  were  evidently  furnished  by 
Jews,  the  latter  are  exempted  from  the  duty  of  "  going 
before  any  judge  on  the  Sabbath-day,  or  on  tJic  [day  of 
the]  preparation  to  it  "  (Antiq.  16,  6,  2).  The  word 
occurs  in  the  same  sense  (=Friday)  in  Matt.  27  :  62  ; 
Luke  23  :  54,  and  is  so  explained  in  Mark  15  142,  so 
that  there  can  be  no  doubt  respecting  the  meaning  of 
the  word  in  John  19  :  14.  The  Sabbath  which  occurred 
during  the  holy  passover  festival  of  eight  days  was 
specially  sacred,  and  the  sixth  week-day  preceding  it  was 
called  "  the  preparation-day  of  the  passover."  Hence  the 
Sabbath-day  itself,  in  view  of  the  additional  solemnity 
imparted  to  it  by  the  festival,  is  called  in  ver.  31  "  a 
high  day."  Finally,  the  "  feast  "  mentioned  in  John  13  : 
29  also  refers  to  the  sacrificial  offerings  and  banquets  of 
the  seven  days,  of  which  the  disciples  still  supposed 
that  they  and  their  Master  would  continue  to  partake. 
When  the  13th  of  Nisan,  which  ended  on  Thursday  at 
sunset,  is  called  in  Matt.  26  :  17  (see  ann.)  and  Mark  14  : 
12  "the  first  day,"  this  appellation  is  given  to  it  either 
in  the  sense  of  tJie  introductory  daj/=the  day  preceding 
(as  the  same  word  here  translated  "  first  "  is  translated 
"  before"  in  John  1:15,  30),  or  rather,  in  the  sense  that 
as  the  paschal  lamb  was  then  prepared  and  leaven 
already  removed  from  the  house,  the  day  virtually  con- 
stituted the  Jirst  of  the  whole  festival  season.  For  a 
strict  observance  of  the  words  in  Exod.  12:18  would 
exclude  the  use  of  leavened    bread    during  the  natural 


302  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxvi;  3-5. 

day  on  the  evening  of  which  the  14th  commenced  (see 
below,  ver.  17,  A.). 

§  6.  It  may  be  added  that  a  tJiird  circumstance  gave 
new  interest  and  solemnity  to  this  festival  ;  it  was  a 
Jewish  spring  festival.  On  the  day  succeeding  the 
first  Sabbath  which  occurred  during  the  eight  days,  the 
sheaf  of  the  first-fruits  of  the  harvest  (barley)  was  offered 
(see  Exod.  23  :  16;  Lev.  23  :  9-14;  and  comp  Jos.  Antiq. 
3.  10,  5). 

C.  The  Son  of  man,  etc.  The  Saviour  again  (16  :  21  ; 
17  :  22;  20  :  19)  foretells  His  crucifixion  ;  the  treachery 
of  Judas  is  an  act  of  the  performance  of  which  He  is  so 
certain  that  He  speaks  of  it  as  if  it  had  already  occurred 
=is  betrayed. — To  be  crucified.  The  Lord  represents 
His  death  as  coinciding  in  time  with  the  observance  of 
the  passover  festival,  which  ended  with  the  evening  of  the 
natural  day  on  which  His  death  occurred. 

'  Then  were  gathered  together  the  chief  priests,  and  the  elders  of  the 
people,  unto  the  court  of  the  high  priest,  who  was  called  Caiaphas. 

A.  Then=possibly,  on  the  day  when  the  Lord  made 
the  remark  in  ver.  2.  The  persons  here  indicated  con- 
stitute the  council  (ver.  59),  or  sanhedrim  ;  the  present  is, 
however,  not  a  public  or  regular  meeting,  but  one  of  a 
private  and  informal  character. — B.  Caiaphas.  Josephus 
informs  us  that  this  priest  was  known  by  the  name  of 
Joseph  as  well  as  that  of  Caiaphas  (Antiq.  18,  ch.  2,  §  2, 
and  ch.  4,  §  3).  He  was  subsequently  deposed  from  his 
high  office,  which  he  had  dishonored  by  his  Sadducean 
doctrine  and  his  unholy  conduct  generally. 

*'  ^  And  they  took  counsel  together  that  they  might  take  Jesus  by  sub- 
tilty,  and  kill  him, — But  they  said,  Not  during  the  feast,  lest  a  tumult  arise 
among  the  people. 

A.     Took  counsel.     They  had   long  before  "  sought  to 

lay  hands  on  "  the  Lord  (21  :  46),  but  the  impious  plan  of 


XXVI.  6.]  CHAPTER  XXVL  303 

actually  slaying  Him  seems  to  have  been  first  distinctly 
proposed  by  Caiaphas  (John  11  :  50)  ;  his  wicked  project, 
however,  was  so  controlled  by  divine  power  that  the 
result  corresponded  to  the  "  determinate  counsel  and 
foreknowledge  of  God "  (Acts  2  :  23).  Hence,  like 
Balaam  (Numb.,  ch.  22-24),  he  became,  in  opposition  to 
his  original  purpose,  a  prophet  of  "  good  things  to  come  " 
(Hebr.  10  :  i). — B.  By  subtilty==in  a  crafty  manner 
(Mark  14:  i),  or  in  such  a  way  that  their  own  personal 
safety  and  influence  would  not  be  affected. — C.  Not= 
let  this  seizure  not  occur  during  tJie  feast,  that  is,  before 
the  entire  festivals  of  passover  and  of  unleavened  bread 
have  terminated.  The  subsequent  proposal  of  Judas 
induced  these  men,  however,  to  vary  from  this  purpose. 
— D.  Lest,  etc.  We  learn  from  Josephus  (Ant.  17,  9,  3  ; 
20,  5,  3),  that  as  the  great  festivals  brought  vast  numbers 
of  Jews  to  the  city  (see  for  an  illustration  Acts  2  rg-i  i), 
there  was  in  that  age  a  tendency  manifested  by  seditious 
persons  to  create  tiumilts.  The  enemies  of  the  Lord, 
knowing  that  many  believed  on  Him,  apprehended  that 
the  public  arrest  of  His  person  would  create  a  tumult 
which  might  prove  disastrous  to  themselves  (comp.  21  :  4.6 
and  Luke  22  :  2). 

*  Now  when  Jesus  was  in  Bethany,  in  the  house  of  Simon  the  leper. 

A.  In  Bethany  (see  21  :  17).  In  Luke  7 :  36,  ff.,  a 
somewhat  similar  act  of  anointing  the  Lord  is  related  ;  it 
occurred  at  a  different  time  (before  the  close  of  the  public 
ministry  of  Christ,  Luke  8:1)  and  place  (in  the  city, 
Luke  7  :  37)  ;  the  persons,  also  (there,  "  a  woman  which 
was  a  sinner,"  Luke  7  :  37  ;  here,  the  devout  Mary,  John 
12:3),  and  the  circumstances  (a  Pharisee,  the  Lord's 
rebuke  of  him,  etc.),  all  differ  from  those  described  in  the 
present  case.     John  has  related  the  same  occurrence  (12  : 


304  '^^£  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxvi.  7, 

I,  ff.),  and  remarks  that  it  had  occurred  "  six  days  before 

the  passover,"  probably  the  Friday  of  the  preceding  week. 

It  is  here  introduced  by  Matthew  (as  in  14  :  3  he  goes  back 

to  an  earher  date)  in  order  to  explain  the  original  source 

of  the  enmity  which  Judas  manifested  towards  his  Master, 

and  which  appears  to  have  been  roused  or  fully  developed 

by  the  Lord's  words  in  ver.  10,  ff.,  below. — B.     Simon  the 

leper.     Authentic  history  has    preserved   no   account  of 

his  life  and    character.     Martha's   presence   as    one    that 

"  served  "  (see  8:15,  B.)  where  her  brother  was  a  guest 

(John  12:2)  indicates  that  Simon  was  an  intimate  friend, 

possibly  a  relative  of  Lazarus  and  his  sisters.     He  retained 

the  name  of  leper  after  having  doubtless  been  healed  by 

the  Lord,  whom  he  now  gratefully  receives  as  an  honored 

guest.     So  in    11:5  the  lame  and  deaf  diVQ  those  who  hael 

been  lame  and  deaf,  as  in  John  9:17  "  the  blind  man"  is 

no  longer  blind,  but  still  retains  that  name. 

'  There  came  unto  him  a  woman  having  an  alabaster  cruse  of  exceeding 
precious  ointment,  and  she  poured  it  upon  his  head,  as  he  sat  at  meat. 

A.  A  woman=Mary  (John  12:3).  She  came  as  He 
reclined  at  the  table  ;  the  guest,  in  that  position,  turned 
the  feet  away  from  the  table,  and  hence  these  (as  in  Luke 
7  :  38)  as  well  as  the  head  could  be  reached  by  any  one 
who  approached  the  table  (8:  11,  D.). — B.  Alabaster 
.  .  .  ointment.  Vases  of  alabaster  (a  white,  semi-trans- 
parent mineral)  were  believed  in  ancient  times  to  be  better 
adapted  for  preserving  perfumes  and  ointments  than 
vessels  made  of  other  materials.  At  a  later  period  the 
name,  in  the  sense  of  ointment-vessel^  was  given  generally 
to  vases  with  long  narrow  necks  that  were  made  of  glass 
or  metals.  In  the  present  case  the  ointment  used  was 
"  spikenard  "  (Mark  14:3;  John  12:3),  The  oil  which 
gave  value  to  it  was  derived  from  an  oriental  plant,  the 
fragrance  of  which  was  very  highly  prized  (Song  of  Sol. 


XXVI.  8.]  CHAPTER  XXVI.  305 

I  :  12). — Very  precious==of  great  price,  expensive.  ["  Such 
preparations,  like  genuine  attar  of  roses  in  the  modern 
East,  consisting,  as  they  did,  mainly  of  the  essential  oils 
of  carefully  cultivated  flowers,  often  fetched  an  almost 
fabulous  price." — Plumptre.] — C.  Poured,  etc.  The 
practice  of  anointing  the  head,  and  the  body  generally, 
which  was  widely  extended  among  the  oriental  nations, 
is  still  retained  by  them  from  considerations  connected 
with  their  personal  comfort  and  health  (Deut.  28  :  40  ;  Ps. 
104  :  15  ;  see  6:  17).  Guests  to  whom  the  host  intended 
to  render  distinguished  honor  at  a  banquet  were  anointed 
profusely  (Ps.  23  :  5  ;  Amos  6:6;  Luke  7  :  46).  The 
ointment  was,  as  a  mark  of  special  honor  and  reverence, 
applied  even  to  the  feet  of  the  guest ;  the  latter  act  was 
here  also  performed  by  Mary  (John  12  :  3),  who  thus 
anointed  the  Lord's  "  body"  (Matt.  26  :  12  ;  John  12  :  7). 
Mary's  active  faith,  fervent  love  and  deep  gratitude  for 
the  restoration  of  her  brother  to  life  (John  11  :  2),  and  for 
her  own  spiritual  life,  which  the  Lord  had  imparted  to 
her  (Luke  10  :  42),  combined  to  draw  from  her  this 
decided  expression  of  her  holy  sentiments. 

*  But  when  the  disciples  saw  it   they  had  indignation,  saying,  To  what 
purpose  is  this  waste? 

Matthew  does  not  intend  to  relate  the   details,  but  to 

state  simply  the  general   fact  which   led   the   Saviour  to 

utter  the  words  that  follow.     From  John  12  :4-6  we  learn, 

first,  that  Judas  was  the  treasurer  of  the  company  of  the 

disciples,  that  is,  took  charge  of   the  gifts   of  those  who 

"  ministered  unto  Christ   of  their  substance  "  (Luke  8  :  3) 

=contributed    to  His    support,  and    provided  Him  with 

money  for  distribution   among  the  poor ;  and,  secondly, 

that    he    was    a    "  thief."       Hence     his    dissatisfaction 

when  Mary's  gift    was    presented    in    such    a  form  as  to 

prevent  him  from  pilfering.     Some  others  of  the  disciples 
20 


3o6  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.         [xxvi.  9,  10. 

(Mark  14  :  4)  thoughtlessly  concurred  with  Judas,  not 
being  aware  of  his  private  and  selfish  motive. — Waste, 
here=iota/  loss,  an  expenditure  which  produces  no  abid- 
ing benefit  for  any  one.  The  connection  sometimes 
requires  the  original  word  to  be  translated  destruction,  as 
in  7  :  13  ;  2  Peter  2:1. 

'  For  this  ointment  might  have  been  sold  for  much,  and  given  to  the 
poor. 

For  much^=money.  According  to  the  parallel  passages 
in  Mark  and  John,  the  ointment,  in  view  of  its  quality 
and  the  large  quantity  ("a  pound,"  John  12  :  3),  was 
valued  at  300  pence=at  least  $42.00  (see  17  :  24,  B.). 
[Ch.  20  :  2  shows  that  it  represented  a  laborer's  wages 
for  a  whole  year.]  Mary's  act  was  certainly,  when  all 
the  circumstances  are  considered,  one  of  the  most  mu- 
nificent on  record. — Given  to  the  poor,  that  is,  the  money 
for  which  the  ointment  could  have  been  sold  (see 
19  :  21,  C). 

*°  But  Jesus  perceiving  it,  said  unto  them,  Why  trouble  ye  the  woman  ? 
for  she  hath  wrought  a  good  work  upon  me. 

A.     But  Jesus  perceiving  it^what  was  thought  and 

said. — B.  Why  trouble  ye=give,  or,  occasion  trouble, 
vexation,  etc.,  as  in  Luke  11:7;  18:5;  Gal.  6:17;  He 
alludes  to  the  embarrassment  and  discouragement  of 
Mary,  occasioned  by  the  remarks  of  Judas. — Wrought= 
performed,  done,  as  in  3  John  5,  "  doest  to." — C.  A  good 
work=proceeding  from  an  enlightened  and  living  faith 
and  a  holy  love  (see  5  :  16).  The  intrinsic  excellence  of 
the  Avork  or  act  did  not  depend  on  the  pecuniary  or  com- 
mercial value  of  the  gift ;  the  farthing  of  the  poor  widow 
(Mark  12  :  42)  was  even  less  than  the  ten-thousandth  part 
of  Mary's  gift  (see  5  :  25,  B.),  in  a  business  point  of  view 
(see  above,  ver.  9),  but  acquired  inestimable  value  from 
the  widow's  holy  motives  and   desires. — For=inasmucli 


XXVI.  II,  12.]  CHAPTER  XXVI.  307 

as. — Upon  nie=towards  Me ;  the  deed,  irrespectively  of 
the  actual  value  of  the  gift,  was  sanctified  by  the  en- 
lightened motive,  and  by  the  divine  character  of  Him  to 
whom  it  referred=me. 

"  For  ye  have  the  poor  always  with  you  ;  but  me  ye  have  not  always. 

A.  For.  The  intermediate  thought  here  omitted,  but 
indicated  by  for,  is:  Ye  cannot  complain  that  ye  have  by 
this  expenditure  lost  an  opportunity  to  aid  the  poor,  for 
— adds  the  Lord,  alluding  to  Deut.  15  :  11 — ye  always 
have  these  near  you.  The  frequent  mention  in  the  N,  T, 
of  alms-giving,  as  a  regular  practice  (Matt.  6  :  i,  ff. ;  Acts 
10  :  2),  the  apparently  common  sight  of  beggars  (Luke 
16  :  20),  and  the  very  prominent  attention  paid  by  the 
first  Christians  to  the  poor  as  to  a  numerous  class,  of 
which  illustrations  abound  in  the  Acts  (for  instance,  ch. 
6  :  i)  and  the  apostolic  epistles  (e.  g.  Gal.  2  :  10),  are 
evidences  that  vast  numbers  of  the  people  at  this  period 
were  reduced  by  the  troubles  of  the  times  to  the  most 
abject  poverty  (comp.  19  :  21,  C). — B.  But  me,  etc.= 
My  visible  presence  will  soon  be  withdrawn  from  you  ; 
after  My  ascension  (Acts  i  :  9)  such  testimonials  of  love 
cannot  be  given  to  Me  personally,  but  indirectly  only, 
through  My  afflicted  brethren  (25  :  40). 

'^  For  in  that  she  poured  this  ointment  upon  my  body,  she  did  it  to  pre- 
pare me  for  burial. 

For.  The  connection  is :  She  hath  wrought  a  good 
work,  for  while  the  motive  is  holy,  the  act,  in  view  of  My 
approaching  death  and  burial,  is  eminently  appropriate 
and  commendable.  The  ancient  practice  of  embalming 
the  dead  (Gen.  50  :  2)  was,  to  a  certain  extent,  retained 
in  some  cases  among  the  later  Jews  (John  19  :  40)  ;  the 
body  was  wrapped  in  a  clean  linen  cloth  (Matt.  2^  :  59  ; 
John  1 1  :  44),  between  the  folds  of  which  large  quantities 


3o8  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxvi.  13. 

of  aromatics  or  spices  and  ointments  were  placed  (Luke 

23  :  56).  Nicodemus  brought  "  about  a  hundred  pounds' 
weight  "  for  that  purpose  (John  19  :  39).  Even  if  Mary- 
were  not  distinctly  aware  that  the  Lord's  burial  was  so 
near  at  hand,  He  declares  that  the  approaching  event 
fully  justifies  the  act.  Still,  Mary's  thoughtful  character, 
as  illustrated  in  Luke  10:  38,  ff.,  and  in  John,  ch.  11,  and 
her  profound  attention  to  her  Master's  words  (such  as 
those  in  26  :  2,  which  some  of  the  disciples  may  have 
communicated  to  her,  or  which  the  Lord  Himself  ad- 
dressed to  her,  Luke  24  :  6,  7),  seem  to  indicate  on  her 
part  a  painful  apprehension  that  death  would  soon  re- 
move Him  from  her.  To  such  secret  thoughts  of  Mary 
the  Lord  appears  to  allude. 

'^  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Wheresoever  this  gospel  shall  be  preached  in 
the  whole  world,  that  also  which  this  woman  hath  done,  shall  be  spoken  of 
for  a  memorial  of  her. 

A.     This    gospel.     For   the    word,   see  4  :  23,   C.     He 

probably  refers  to  the  "good  tidings"  of  His  death,  to 
which  He  alludes  in  the  word  "  burial,"  and  which  is  our 
life  (Rom.  14  :  8,  9;  Matt.  20 :  28 ;  2  Cor.  5:15;  i  Thess. 
5  :  10;  comp.  the  same  expression  in  24 :  14,  C). — B.  For 
a  memorial=in  memory  of  her.  The  word,  as  in  Acts 
10:4,  describes  any  object,  act  or  practice  which  pre- 
serves the  memory  of  a  person,  event,  etc.     Here,  as  in 

24  :  14,  He  not  only  regards  the  Gospel  as  designed  for, 
but  also  predicts  that  it  actually  will  be  preached  to,  the 
whole  world,  carrying  with  it  this  glorious  illustration  of 
the  power  of  divine  grace,  namely,  the  work  in  Mary's 
soul.  The  monument  which  the  humble  Mary  uncon- 
sciously erected  to  her  own  memory  by  this  act  of  devo- 
tion, having  now  been  incorporated  into  the  Gospel 
record,  will  ultimately  be  seen  and  admired  throughout 
the  world.     The  meaning  undoubtedly  is,  that  her  con- 


XXVI.  14,  15]  CHAPTER  XXVI.  309 

duct,  springing  from  a  living  faith,  should  constitute  an 

example  for  all. 

'♦  Then  one  of  the  twelve,  who  was  called  Judas  Iscariot,  went  unto  the 
chief  priests. 

Judas,  whose  sordid  love  of  money  had  already,  through 
the  neglect  of  watchfulness  and  self-examination,  acquired 
such  control  over  him  as  to  lead  to  the  commission  of 
petty  crimes  (ver.  8,  above),  was  thus  led  "  concerning 
faith  to  make  shipwreck  "  (i  Tim.  i  :  19).  The  Lord's 
disclosures  concerning  His  own  crucifixion  also  may  have 
tended  to  discourage  Judas,  whose  expectations,  possibly 
like  those  of  the  scribe  mentioned  in  8  :  19,  20,  were  of  a 
worldly  character.  The  gentle  rebuke  of  his  hypocritical 
language  (ver.  10,  ff.)  imbittered  his  feelings;  If — he  may 
have  said  to  himself — if  this  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  my 
Master,  be  the  Son  of  God,  He  can  extricate  Himself 
again  as  He  has  done  heretofore  (Luke  4  :  30 ;  John 
10  :  39)  ;  if,  on  the  other  hand,  His  apprehensions  of  a 
violent  death  should  be  realized,  I  can  derive  no  advan- 
tage by  adhering  to  Him  ;  but,  in  either  case,  I  can  gain 
money  by  betraying  Him.  If  Judas  used  the  word 
"  safely  "  (Mark  14  :  44)  ironically,  like  "  hold  him  fast  " 
(ver.  48,  below),  he  possibly  believed  that  his  Master 
would  be  able  to  extricate  Himself  (comp.  Matt.  27  :  3, 
A.).  [A  speculation,  then,  on  his  Lord's  omnipotence, 
intended  to  defraud  the  Jews  !]  He  privately  made  the 
proposition  to  the  '*  chief  priests  "^the  highest  Jewish 
authorities.  Matthew  adds  here  and  ver.  47,  reproach- 
fully: one  of  the  twelve  (==not  a  stranger,  not  a  heathen, 
but  a  "  familiar  friend,"  Ps.  41  :  9),  in  order  to  give 
prominence  to  the  atrociousness  of  the  crime. 

"  And  said,  What  are  ye  willing  to  give  me,  and  I  will  deliver  him  unto 
you  ?     And  they  weighed  unto  him  thirty  pieces  of  silver. 

A.     What  .  .  .  give  me.     The  language  seems   to   in- 


3IO  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxvi.  15. 

dicate  that  the  leading  motive  of  Judas,  after  his  rever- 
ence for  the  Lord  had  been  suppressed  by  Satan's  in- 
fluences, was  the  desire  to  gratify  his  love  of  money. — B. 
I  will  deliver  ,  .  .  you.  The  original  Greek  word  is 
translated,  sometimes,  deliver,  sometimes,  betray  (see  17  : 
22).  The  treachery  of  Judas  consisted  in  the  following 
circumstance  :  The  Lord's  enemies  eagerly  desired  to  seize 
Him  at  the  earliest  possible  moment ;  at  the  same  time 
they  wished,  according  to  ver.  5,  to  accomplish  their  de- 
sign at  such  a  favorable  place  and  hour  that  no  public 
tumult  would  be  occasioned.  The  proposition  of  Judas 
accordingly  contained  in  substance  the  ofTer  to  give  them 
notice  when  they  could  find  the  Lord  alone,  and  when 
they  would  have  no  cause  to  apprehend  a  rescue  on  the 
part  of  His  adherents. — C.  They  weighed  him.  The 
words  in  27  :  3,  and  their  unquestionable  eagerness  to 
secure  Judas  as  an  accomplice,  indicate  that  they  at  once 
paid  him  the  stipulated  sum,  after  having  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  interview  (Mark  14  :  11)  promptly 
agreed  to  pay  money  for  such  a  service.  Now  it  was 
customary,  before  the  precious  metals  were  coined,  to 
make  payment  by  weight==to  place  silver  or  gold  in 
a  balance  (Jerem.  32  :  10).  The  original  word  translated  in 
A.  V.  covenanted  is  employed  in  the  Greek  version  of 
the  O.  T.,  for  a  Hebrew  word  translated  to  zveigJi  in  Ezra 
8  :  25,  26,  33  ;  Isai.  46  :  6,  and  precisely  in  the  prophecy 
Zech.  11:12  mentioned  below,  27  :  9. — D.  Thirty,  etc. 
=$16.80  (see  17  :  24,  B.  ;  the  amount  was  only  a  little 
more  than  one-third  of  the  value  of  Mary's  ointment,  ver. 
9).  This  sum  was  fixed  in  Exod.  21  :  32  as  the  compen- 
sation due  to  the  owner  of  a  slave  that  had  been  killed 
by  an  ox.  The  chief  priests  doubtless  designed  by  spe- 
cifying this  amount  to  show  their  contempt  for  Christ 
(see  below,  27  :  9). 


XXVI.  i6-i8.]  CHAPTER  XX VL  311 

'^  And  from  that  time  he  sought  opportunity  to  deliver  him  7into  tJiem. 

Opportunity=a  fit  time.  Judas  watched  for  an  hour 
when  the  Lord  would  be  found  in  some  soHtary  spot 
where  His  arrest  could  be  quietly  made.  His  crime  was 
deliberately  committed. 

'''  Now  on  the  first  day  ('/"unleavened  bread,  the  disciples  came  to  Jesus, 
saying,  Where  wilt  thou  that  we  make  ready  for  thee  to  eat  the  passover? 

A.  Now  (on)  the  first  day=Thursday  (see  the  ann. 
above  to  ver.  2).  The  14th  day  of  Nisan  began  in  that 
year  on  Thursday  evening  at  sunset  (see  above,  ver.  2, 
B.,  §  5,  and  for  the  beginning  of  the  month,  see  §  2). 
During  the  13th  day==Wednesday  up  to  sunset,  all  leaven 
or  yeast  was  removed  from  the  houses  of  the  Jews ; 
hence  this  portion  of  the  13th  of  Nisan,  which  imme- 
diately preceded  the  passover-day  (the  natural  day,  at  the 
close  of  which  the  14th  commenced),  was  popularly  termed 
the  first  day,  since  in  reality  all  leavened  bread  was  re- 
moved, and,  according  to  a  rigid  construction  of  Exod. 
12  :  18;  Lev.  23  :  5  ;  Numb.  9:3;  Deut.  16  :  6,  its  use 
was  avoided,  although  the  festival,  strictly  speaking,  did 
not  begin  until  sunset  (see  ver.  2,  B.,  §  5,  near  the  end). — 
B,  Where  wilt  thou=special  accommodations  for  such 
purposes  were  always  furnished  by  the  inhabitants  to 
Jews  who  visited  the  city  on  such  occasions. — C.  To  eat 
the  passover=the  paschal  supper.  The  lamb  had  been 
selected  on  the  previous  "  tenth  day  of  the  month " 
(Exod.  12  :  3);  it  was  slain  on  the  afternoon  of  the  13th 
day  "  in  the  evening"  (Exod.  12  :  6),  literally,  "  between 
the  two  evenings,"  that  is,  before  sunset  (see  14  :  15,  A.), 
and  eaten  after  sunset,  when  the  14th  commenced. 

'^  And  he  said,  Go  into  the  city  to  such  a  man,  and  say  unto  him,  The 
Master  saith.  My  time  is  at  hand  ;  I  keep  the  passover  at  thy  house  with  my 
disciples. 

A.     Go  .  .  .  city=Jerusalem.     They  are  probably  still 


312  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxvi.  i8. 

in  or  near  Bethany,  ver.  6. — B.  To  such  a  man.  This 
pecuhar  expression  indicates  a  person  whose  name,  for 
special  reasons,  the  speaker  or  writer  does  not  wish  to 
mention  (comp.  Ruth  4:1;!  Sam.  21  :  2).  According 
to  the  Lord's  statement,  derived  from  His  foreknowledge, 
the  disciples  would  meet  a  particular  individual  on  their 
entrance  into  the  city,  "  bearing  a  pitcher  of  water  (Mark 
14  :  13  ;  Luke  22  :  10).  They  are  directed  to  notice  the 
house  which  he  enters,  and  then  accost  the  occupant  of 
that  house.  The  Lord  evidently  desires  to  conceal  both 
the  name  of  the  man  and  the  situation  of  the  house  ;  in- 
deed, the  commission  appears  to  have  been  privately 
given  to  Peter  and  John  (Luke  22  :  8).  All  these  cir- 
cumstances imply  that  the  Lord,  who  was  aware  of  the 
secret  plan  of  Judas  (ver.  14),  and  did  not  desire  to  be 
disturbed  at  the  supper,  purposely  withheld  from  the  lat- 
ter all  knowledge  of  the  locality.  The  occupant  of  the 
house,  who  evidently  knew  zvho  "  The  Master  "  (=teacher, 
8  :  19,  B.)  was,  no  doubt  was  one  of  the  many  adherents 
of  Christ  who  are  not  mentioned  by  name  in  the  four 
Gospels  (see  above,  21:3,  A.).  Like  the  seventy  disci- 
ples, Lazarus  and  other  believers,  he  observed  the  festival 
with  his  own  family,  and  not  in  the  Lord's  company. 
According  to  Jewish  usage  (founded  on  Exod.  12:4, 
which  required  each  "  household  "  as  a  general  rule  to  ob- 
serve the  festival  separately),  the  company  at  the  paschal 
meal  could  not  consist  of  less  than  ten  individuals  (see 
Jos.  War,  6,  9,  3),  nor  of  more  than  twenty  (see  25  :  i,  C). 
— C.  My  time  is  at  hand,  lit.  is  near,  as  the  same  word 
is  translated  in  Mark  13  :  28.  This  language  wrt'j/ imply  : 
The  time  for  My  celebration  of  the  passover  is  come. 
But,  on  the  one  hand,  such  a  message  conveyed  no  new 
information,  since  the  precise  time  of  the  celebration  was 
known  to  all  (ver.  2,B.,  §  5"),  and,  on  the  other,  the  original 


XXVI.  ig.]  CHAPTER  XXVf.  313 

term  for  time  often  refers  to  special,  momentous  or  de- 
cisive periods,  as  in  8  :  29 ;  21  :  34 ;  Luke  21:8;  John  7 : 
6,  8,  with  which  compare  the  word  "  hour  "  occurring  as 
an  equivalent  in  Mark  14:41;  John  2:4;  7  :  30 ;  8  :  20. 
Hence  it  is  clear  that  the  Lord  designs  to  inform  the  oc- 
cupant of  the  house  that  the  time  of  His  atoning  death 
was  at  hand. — Is=z£'/// very  shortly  be  ;  so  in  John  17:4, 
13,  He  describes  the  time  of  the  completion  of  His  work 
as  having  already  arrived. — D.  I  will  keep,  etc.  The 
words  plainly  im.ply  that,  while  the  occupant  of  the  house 
was  friendly  to  the  Lord,  no  previous  arrangement  had 
been  made  with  him,  and  that,  as  in  the  case  of  Zaccheus 
(Luke  19  :  5),  the  Lord's  visit  to  his  house  was  an  un- 
expected honor. 

^'  And  the  disciples  did  as  Jesus  appointed  them  ;  and  they  made  ready 
the  passover. 

The  disciples  were  Peter  and  John  (Luke  22  :  8). — 
Appointed=directed.  As  the  Lord  had  predicted,  the 
occupant  of  the  house  (not  the  man  who  carried  the 
pitcher,  Luke  22  :  10,  ii)  at  once  conducted  them  to 
"  a  large  upper  room  furnished  and  prepared  "  (Mark 
14:  I5)=with  tables,  cushions  or  couches  (see  8  :  ii, 
D.) ;  hither  the  disciples  brought  the  lamb,  "  roast  with 
fire,"  the  "bitter  herbs"  (Exod.  12:8),  unleavened 
bread,  wine,  and  all  that  was  needed  for  the  paschal 
meal,  thus  "preparing,"  or  "  making  ready"  (the  same 
Greek  word  being  used  in  ver.  17  and  19).  The  upper 
room  (Mark  14:  15;  Luke  22  :  11)  was  in  the  second 
story,  immediately  below  the  roof  (see  9  :  2,  D.),  and, 
from  its  retired  situation,  was  well  adapted  for  the 
present  purpose.  It  is  obvious  that  the  blessing  con- 
nected with  the  celebration  of  the  Lord's  Supper  may  be 
received  by  devout  communicants,  whether  they  partake 
of  it  in   an   upper  room,   as   at  this  time,  or  elsewhere. 


314  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.       [xxvx.  20,  .-i. 

with  burning  lamps,  as  here,  or  without  them,  standing, 
sitting  or  kneeHng,  etc.  The  Lord  Himself  did  not 
precisely  observe  all  the  forms  prescribed  for  the  first 
passover  in  Exod.  12  :  11. 

^°  Now  when  even  was  come,  he  was  sitting  at  meat  with  the  twelve. 

A.  The  even=Thursday  evening,  after  sunset,  at  the 
commencement  of  the  14th  day  of  the  month  (see  ver. 
2,  B.,  §5). — B.  The  twelve.  Hence  Judas,  who  had 
accompanied  the  other  disciples,  is  now  also  present  ;  he 
probably  remained  until  the  conclusion  of  the  meal. 
Did  he  then  also  partake  of  the  Holy  Supper?  The 
words  in  John  13  :  30  seem  to  imply  that  he  left  the 
house  before  the  Supper  was  instituted.  His  absence 
can,  however,  have  been  only  of  brief  duration,  for,  ac- 
cording to  Luke  22  :  19-21,  he  is  represented  as  present 
at  the  time  of  the  institution  and  immediately  after  it, 
and  the  whole  motive  in  the  present  chapter  (for  instance, 
ver.  25,  26)  indicates  that  Matthew  regards  him  as  present 
at  the  time.  Moreover,  the  word  "  all  "  seems  to  indicate 
emphatically  that  all  the  twelve  received  both  the  bread 
and  the  wine.  This  view  is  confirmed  by  the  circumstance 
that  if  he  had  withdrawn  before  the  institution  of  the 
Lord's  Supper,  and  had  not  ascertained  the  place  to 
which  the  Lord  afterwards  proceeded  (ver.  36),  he  could 
not  have  conducted  the  officers  and  armed  men  (Luke 
22  :  47  ;  Matt.  26  :  57  ;  John  18  :  3)  with  such  precision 
to  the  spot.  Accordingly  he  must  have  remained  until 
the  Lord  left  the  house  with  the  disciples  (ver.  30),  and 
at  that  moment,  in  the  darkness  of  the  night,  have  silently 
withdrawn  (see  below,  ver.  31,  B.). 

*'  And  as  they  were  eating,  he  said,  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  that  one  of 
you  shall  betray  me. 

A.  They  did  eat^the  paschal  meal.  According  to 
the    Jewish    usage,   the  head  of    the  family  commenced 


XXVI.  22,  23-]  CHAPTER  XXVI.  315 

with  a  prayer,  or  gave  thanks,  and  then  the  first  oi  four 
cups  of  red  wine,  mixed  with  water,  was  tasted  by  all  the 
company.  The  113th  and  114th  Psalms  were  sung  (see 
below,  ver.  30,  A.),  and  the  meal  proceeded.  It  was 
probably  during  the  earlier  part  of  the  meal  that  the 
occurrences  related  in  Luke  22  :  24-30  and  John  13  : 
1-20  took  place. — B.  Verily,  etc.  The  Lord  was 
"troubled  in  spirit"  (John  13  :  21),  or  grieved  by  the 
wicked  course  to  which  Judas  abandoned  himself,  and 
now  alludes  to  his  proposed  acts  :  "  Ye  are  not  all  clean," 
said  he  (John  13  :  i  i)=even  your  limited  number  does 
not  consist  entirely  of  faithful  adherents. — Betray  (see 
ver.   16). 

*^  And  they  were  exceeding  sorrowful,  and  began  to  say  every  one,  Is  it 

1,  Lord  ? 

A.  And  they  .  .  .  him.  Each  one  of  the  eleven, 
conscious  of  his  own  deep  devotion  to  the  Lord,  and 
ignorant  of  the  plans  of  Judas,  was  distressed  by  the 
doubt  which  the  Lord  appeared  to  express  respecting 
their  fidelity. — B.  Is  it  I?=thou  surely  canst  not  doubt 
my  devotion  and  love  to  Thee  (see  John  13  :  23,  ff.). 

^^  And  he  answered  and  said,  He  that  dipped  his  hand  with  me  in  the 
dish,  the  same  shall  betray  me. 

A.  He  answered.  The  Lord's  words  were,  according 
to  John  13  :  25,  26,  addressed  by  Him  privately  to  John, 
who  lay  on  "  Jesus'  breast  "=next  to  Him  at  the  table  ; 
indeed,  the  words  could  not  have  been  addressed  to  all 
aloud,  as  the  question  of  Judas,  in  ver.  25,  below,  shows 
that  he  had  not  heard  them. — B.  Dipped  .  .  .  dish. 
According  to   the  well-known   usage   of  the    times   (15  : 

2,  B.),  the  head  of  the  family  dipped  pieces  of  the 
bread  into  the  dish  or  bowl  of  thick  broth  (containing 
also  dates,  figs,  etc.,  besides  the  "  bitter  herbs,"  Exod. 
2  :  8),    and    gave   them  to  the  guests   in    rotation  ;    the 


3i6  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxvi.  24. 

others  continued  to  eat,  dipping  pieces  in  the  common 
dish  themselves.  This  answer,  combined  with  John  13  : 
26,  informs  us  that  at  the  moment  when  Judas  reached 
forth  his  hand  for  that  purpose,  the  Lord  presented  to 
him  the  "  sop  "  (John  13  :  26),  that  is,  a  morsel  or  piece 
of  bread  moistened  in  the  broth.  By  this  sign  John, 
"the  beloved  disciple  "  (John  13  :  23),  was  privately  made 
acquainted  with  the  name  of  the  only  traitor  in  the  com- 
pany. The  Lord  (John  13  :  18)  affectingly  alludes  to 
the  prophecy  in  Ps.  41  :  9. — C.  Betray=deliver  up  into 
the  hands  of  enemies  (see  ver.  15,  B.). 

^  The  Son  of  man  goeth  even  as  it  is  written  of  him  :  but  woe  unto  that 
man  by  whom  the  Son  of  man  is  betrayed  !  good  were  it  for  that  man  if  he 
had  not  been  born. 

A.  The  Son  of  man  goeth=goeth  hence  to  His  death 
(Ps.  39  :  13). — B.  As  it  is  written  of  him  (see  Gen.  3  : 
15,  the  first  Gospel  promise  ;  Numb.  21  :  8,  9,  comp.  with 
John  3  :  14,  15,  and  12  :  32,  33  ;  Ps.  22  ;  41  :  9;  Isai.,  ch. 
53;  Dan.  9  :  26  ;  Zech.  13  :  7).  He  died  in  accordance 
with  the  "  determinate  counsel  and  foreknowledge  of 
God  "  (Acts  2:23;  Luke  22  :  22  ;  24  :  26,  27).  Since 
Christ  was  "  foreordained  before  the  foundation  of  the 
world  "  (i  Peter  i  :  20)  as  our  Redeemer,  the  prophets 
were  in  due  time  commissioned  to  reveal  the  gracious 
plan  of  salvation.  The  foreknowledge  of  God  respecting 
the  crime  of  Judas  did  not  compel  him  to  commit  it,  even 
as  that  divine  knowledge  did  not  compel  Saul  and  the 
men  of  Keilah  (i  Sam.  23  :  7-13)  to  carry  out  their 
designs  against  David. — C.  But  woe.  This  exclama- 
tion, which  often  indicates  deep  sorrow  or  pity  (11  :  21, 
A.),  here  expresses  the  Saviour's  grief  that  Judas  would 
be  "  lost  "  (John  17  :  12). — Good  were  it,  etc.  When  the 
oriental  nations,  whose  language  of  passion  was  char- 
acterized by  very  bold  figures,  designed  to  say  that  they 


XXVI.  25.]  CHAPTER  XXVI.  317 

endured  the  highest  degree  of  misery  and  suffering,  they 
often  uttered  in  the  wildest  terms  their  regret  that  they 
had  ever  been  born  (see  Job  3  :  3,  ff. ;  Jerem.  15  :  10;  20  : 
14).  In  conformity  to  this  usage,  the  sense  of  the  pres- 
ent proverbial  language  simply  is  :  Since  that  man,  Judas, 
has  acted  in  direct  opposition  to  the  wise  and  benevolent 
design  for  which  God  created  him,  and  has  voluntarily 
rejected  Me,  he  will,  in  consequence  of  his  own  folly  and 
wickedness,  suffer  unutterable  and  everlasting  pain  (comp. 
18  :  7,  C.)  ;  he  is  "  the  son  of  perdition  "  (John  17:12; 
see  8:12,  A.,  and  23  :  15,  D.),  because  he  did  not,  like 
the  eleven  disciples,  keep  God's  Word  (John  17:6). 

^*  And  Judas,  which  betrayed  him,  answered  and  said,  Is  it  I,  Rabbi  ? 
He  saith  unto  him,  Thou  hast  said. 

A.  Then=after  the  private  conversation  between  the 
Lord  and  John  (ver.  23,  A.). — B.  Judas  .  .  .  I  ?  The 
Lord's  last  warning  word  in  ver.  21  should  have  alarmed 
the  conscience  of  Judas;  but  his  persistent  hypocrisy  in 
speaking  as  a  friend  while  he  cherished  hostility  in  his 
heart  reacted  on  him  and  hardened  him  the  more,  accord- 
ing to  the  process  described  in  2  Cor.  4  :  4.  Hence,  as, 
according  to  Luke  22  :  3,  he  had  previously  listened  to  a 
suggestion  of  Satan  in  place  of  saying :  Get  thee  hence, 
Satan  (Matt.  4  :  10),  now,  "  after  the  sop,  Satan  entered 
into  him"  (John  13  :  27)=took  full  possession  of  him  as 
an  unresisting  prey.  Hence  proceeds  the  effrontery 
with  which  he  here  asks  the  question. — C.  Thou  hast 
said=  Yes,  or,  //  is  as  thou  sayest.  Such  was  the  ancient 
mode  of  uttering  an  af^rmative  answer  (comp.  ver.  64, 
below).  This  narrative,  like  that  of  the  evangelist  John, 
indicates  that  the  question  of  Judas,  and  the  answer  to 
it,  were  both  uttered  in  low  tones,  and  were  not  distinctly 
heard  by  the  other  disciples.  The  succeeding  words, 
recorded  in  John  13  :  27,  were  spoken  aloud.     Afterwards 


3i8  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxvi.  26. 

Judas   withdrew   temporarily  (ver.  20,  C),  but  returned 

during  the  progress  of  the  paschal  meal  (ver.  31,  B.). 

^*  And  as  they  were  eating,  Jesus  took  bread,  and  blessed,  and  brake  it ; 
and  he  gave  to  the  disciples,  and  said,  Take,  eat ;  this  is  my  body. 

A.  And  .  .  .  eating^had  eaten  the  paschal  Iamb,  but 
not  yet  concluded  the  whole  meal.  At  this  point  the 
history  of  the  institution  of  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's 
Supper  commences.  A  sacrament  is  a  religious  cere- 
mony, instituted  by  Christ  Himself,  in  which  certain  out- 
ward signs  or  symbols  are  used,  and  which  imparts  to 
those  who  exercise  faith  the  divine  gifts  themselves, 
which  are  indicated  by  the  symbols.  Only  two  sacraments 
were  given  to  the  Church  by  its  Head,  namely,  Baptism 
and  the  Lord's  Supper. — B.  Jesus  took  bread=a  loaf  of 
the  bread  already  prepared  for  the  paschal  meal.  This 
bread  consisted  of  a  thin,  broad,  fiat  "  cake  of  bread  " 
(2  Sam.  6  :  19  ;  Gen.  18:6),  shaped  like  a  plate  or  wafer 
(comp.  Exod.  29  :  23  ;  i  Kings  19:6;  Hos.  7  :  8).  It 
was  of  moderate  size,  one  inch  or  less  in  thickness,  and 
scarcely  more  than  eight  or  ten  inches  in  diameter,  the 
dimensions  being  determined  by  convenience.  The  size 
may  be  estimated  from  passages  like  i  Sam.  25  :  18; 
2  Sam.  16  :  I  ;  Luke  11:5;  John  6  :  9.  As  these  loaves 
were  light  and  small,  they  often  bear  in  the  N.  T.  the 
plural  name  <5'r^a'^.f,  translated  simply  loaves,  as  in  14  :  17  ; 
15:34;  16:9,  10. — C.  And  blessed=the  bread;  so, 
too,  the  cup  was  blessed  (i  Cor.  10  :  16).  Here  the  fol- 
lowing words  occur  in  the  margin  of  the  English  Bible : 
"  Many  Greek  copies  have  gave  thanks"  that  is,  in  place 
of  enlogesas=blessed.  Many  ancient  manuscripts  have 
a  different  Greek  word,  eticJiaristesas,  signifying  gave 
thanks ;  the  latter  occurs  immediately  below  (ver.  27). 
For  the  two  Greek  words,  which  nearly  coincide  in  sense, 
and  one  of  which  has  furnished  the  name   Eucharist  for 


XXVI.  26.]  CHAPTER  XX VL  319 

the  Lord's  Supper,  see  above,  14  :  19,  B.  The  Saviour's 
act  here  is  one  of  consecration  (comp.  Luke  9:16;  i 
Sam.  9  :  13). — D.  And  brake  it.—Brake^^droke.  Owing 
to  the  peculiar  form  of  the  bread  (see  B.,  above),  the  loaf 
was  not  cut  but  always  broken  (comp.  14  :  19  ;  15  :  36; 
Acts  27  :  35  ;  Lam.  Jerem.  4  :  4).  In  the  parallel  passage 
(i  Cor.  II  :  24),  the  same  word  broken  is  applied  to  the 
Lord's  body.  This  particular  word  is  not  applied  in  the 
Gospels  to  the  body  of  Christ  in  the  narrative  of  the 
institution  of  the  Holy  Supper,  and,  in  i  Cor.  11  :  24,  is 
simply  equivalent  to  "given,"  which  is  the  word  em- 
ployed in  Luke  22  :  19.  Inasmuch  as  the  Scripture  had 
declared  :  "  A  bone  of  him  shall  not  be  broken  "  (John  19  : 
36;  Exod.  12  :  46;  Numb.  9  :  12  ;  Ps.  34  :  20),  the  act  of 
breaking  the  bread  used  in  the  Communion,  which  act 
by  no  means  represents  the  piereing  of  the  Lord's  Body 
with  nails  and  a  spear,  can  have  no  significance,  and  does 
not  necessarily  belong  to  the  holy  rite.  Paul  introduces 
the  word  in  i  Cor.  10  :  16  because  the  first  Christians 
used  similar  bread=so  baked  that  it  did  not  admit  of 
being  cut,  but  was  broken,  and  this  circumstance  after- 
wards suggested  the  word  broken  in  i  Cor.  1 1  :  24  (see 
below,  27  :  56,  C). — E.  And  gave  it  to  the  disciples= 
that  they  might  actually  partake  of  the  gift.  The  em- 
phatic words.  Take,  eat,  indicate  that  the  ordinance  is 
not  simply  a  ceremony  performed  by  a  few  individuals, 
and  intended  to  commemorate  a  past  event  by  the  exhi- 
bition or  display  of  bread  and  wine,  but  that  its  benefits 
can  be  received  solely  by  those  who  actually  eat. — F. 
This  is  my  body.  In  the  original  Greek  the  pronoun 
this  by  its  form  and  termination,  which  cannot  be  pre- 
cisely represented  in  English,  indicates  that  it  does  not 
directly  refer  to  the  word  bread.  The  sense  is  :  This, 
which  I  give  you,  is,  etc.     It  is  obvious  that  the  disciples 


320  THE  GOSPEL  OE  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxvi.  27. 

ate  bread  and  not  the  mere  semblance  of  bread,  for, 
according  to  i  Cor.  10  :  16,  bread  remains  unchanged 
even  after  the  consecration.  The  doctrine  of  the  Papists, 
according  to  which  the  bread  is  converted  into  the  Lord's 
flesh,  while  it  retains  only  the  color  and  taste  of  simple 
bread,  is,  therefore,  altogether  unscriptural.  While,  how- 
ever, the  bread  continues  to  be  bread,  the  remarkable 
language  of  St.  Paul  in  i  Cor.  10  :  16  ;  1 1  :  27,  and  in  Eph. 
5  :  30,  shows  that  he  believed  that  the  true  body  of 
Christ,  His  "glorious  body"  (Phil.  3  :  2i=-His  glorified 
body),  was  connected  with  the  bread,  so  that  the  com- 
municant received  alike  bread  and  the  Lord's  body, 
and  wine  and  the  Lord's  blood.  This  sacramental  union 
of  the  body  of  Christ  with  the  bread  is  as  incomprehen- 
sible as  the  passage  of  His  body  through  "  shut  doors" 
(John  20  :  19,  26).  Indeed,  if  the  Lord's  Supper  con- 
stituted simply  a  commemorative  rite,  it  would  not  pos- 
sess a  higher  character  or  value  than  a  "  shadow  "  of  the 
law  (Col.  2  :  17),  and  the  Lord  would  have  merely  re- 
introduced the  types  and  figures  of  the  law,  while  a  very 
different  view  is  presented  in  Eph.  5  :  30-32  ;  Hebr.  9  : 
9;  10  :  I.  That  presence  of  Christ  is  real  and  true, 
although  incomprehensible,  even  as  the  holy  influences 
of  the  Divine  Spirit  on  the  soul  are  real  and  true, 
although  human  reason  cannot  fully  explain  their  nature. 
"Thou  canst  not  tell,  etc.,"  said  the  Lord  to  Nicodemus 
(John  3  :  8). 

^^  And  he  took  a  cup,  and  gave  thanks,  and  gave  to  them,  saying.  Drink 
ye  all  of  it ; 

A.  And  .  .  .  cup="  after  the  same  manner  "  (Luke 
22  :2o;  I  Cor.  11  :  25),  that  is,  after  blessing  it,  as  He 
blessed  the  bread.  Both  bread  and  wine  had  been  previ- 
ously on  the  table,  as  they  were  essential  to  the  observ- 
ance of  the   passover.     The  cup  of   wine,   mingled   a\  ith 


XXIV.  28.]  CHAPTER  XXVI.  321 

water,  was  circulated  in  connection  with  solemn  prayers 
and  thanksgiving,  as  a  part  of  the  entire  ceremony.  The 
cup  here  mentioned  was  probably  the  fourth,  which  was 
usually  given  after  the  lamb  had  been  eaten. — B.  Gave 
thanks^to  God,  as  in  the  case  of  the  bread  (vcr.  26,  C). 
— C.  Drink,  etc.  The  Papists,  in  direct  opposition  to 
both  the  spirit  and  the  letter  of  these  words — ye  all — 
withhold  the  cup  from  all  communicants,  conceding  it  to 
the  officiating  priest  alone.  For  the  presence  of  Judas, 
see  ver.  20,  C. 

*^  For  this  is  my  blood  of  the  covenant,  which  is  shed  for  many  unto 
remission  of  sins. 

A.  For.  This  word  introduces  the  reason  on  account 
of  which  the  Lord  directs  His  disciples  actually  to  drink 
as  well  as  to  behold  the  wine^rt'/Zneed  the  blessing  which 
it  conveys,  and  are  equally  bound  thus  to  confess  His 
name  (ver.  26,  E.). — B.  This  .  .  .  covenant.  The 
original  Greek  word  translated  in  A.  V.  testament  occurs 
thirty-three  times  in  the  N.  T.  ;  it  is  rendered  covenant 
twenty  times,  but  testament  in  the  other  thirteen  places. 
In  all  of  the  latter,  as  it  is  generally  admitted,  the  word 
covenant  would  be  more  appropriate  than  testament,  except 
in  Hebr.  9  :  15-17,  where  the  meaning  apparently  is 
testament=^-3i  will,  or  a  legal  declaration  of  a  person's  will 
respecting  the  disposition  of  his  property  after  his  death. 
But  even  in  that  passage,  the  word  covenant  would  have 
been  rightly  chosen  ;  the  assertion  that  any  one  is  the 
mediator  of  a  last  %vill  is  unintelligible,  while  the  phrase, 
''  mediator  of  a  covenant,"  that  is,  a  person  who  nego- 
tiates between  the  parties,  is  plain.  The  first  covenant 
is  not  called  elsewhere  a  testament  in  the  sense  of  a  last 
will ;  neither  did  a  testament  or  a  will  of  a  dying  or 
deceased  man  require,  as  ver.    18  says,  a  dedication  with 

blood,  which  language  applies   only   to  covenants.     The 
21 


322  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEiV.  [xxvi.  28. 

words  translated :  "  there  must  ...  be  the  death  of  the 
testator  "  (ver.  16),  rather  means  :  "  there  must  be  a  death 
[namely,  of  a  covenant-making  victim]  brought  in  [as  the 
margin  reads],  or,  furnished  by  the  covenant-maker." 
The  phrase  in  ver.  17:  "after  men  are  dead,"  seems 
rather  to  refer  to  the  death  of  the  animals  (=of  force  be- 
cause, or,  in  consequence  of,  slain,  dead,  victims),  for  the 
word  men  is  not  in  the  original.  In  the  conclusion  of 
ver.  17,  the  sense,  finally,  is: — There  is  no  strength 
(validity)  while  the  covenant-making  victim  lives=the 
covenant-maker's  act  never  has  force  (legal  authority) 
while  the  animals  still  live  or  have  not  yet  been  slain,  in 
order  to  bind  the  contracting  parties.  The  first  or  old 
covenant  (see  Hcbr.,  ch.  8 — ch.  10)  was  made  in  Horeb 
(Deut.  5:2);  God  graciously  engaged  on  His  part  to  be 
the  benefactor  of  the  Israelites,  and  they  were  pledged 
to  serve  Him  alone  (Exod.  19  :  5-8  ;  Deut.  4  :  23).  The 
new  or  better  covenant,  of  which  Christ  is  the  Mediator, 
and  which  is  promised  in  Jercm.  31  :  31,  ff.;  Ezek.  37:  26, 
is  described  in  Gal.,  ch.  3  and  ch.  4,  as  one  of  grace  and 
truth  (John  i  :  17).  According  to  its  terms,  God  will  grant 
everlasting  life  to  all  who  truly  believe  in  the  Crucified 
Redeemer  (see  2  Cor.  3 : 6,  ff.,  and  the  Epistle  to  the 
Hebrews).  In  very  ancient  times,  when  solemn  covenants 
were  made,  the  contracting  parties  ratified  their  engage- 
ments by  shedding  the  blood  of  animals  (comp.  Gen  15  : 
8-18).  According  to  Hcbr.  9  :  18,  fT.;  Exod.  24:6-8, 
Moses,  as  the  mediator  of  the  first  covenant,  resorted  to 
the  "  shedding  of  blood,"  and  said  :  Behold  the  blood  of 
the  covenant,  etc.  It  is  in  allusion  to  this  blood  of 
animals,  which,  according  to  Hebr.  9:  13,  14;  10:4, 
could  not  really  cleanse  from  sin,  that  the  Saviour  here 
says,  while  He  presents  the  cup  :  This  is  My  blood=more 
efificacious  than  the  blood  of  the  first  covenant  (Exod. 


XXVI.  28.]  CHAPTER  XXVI.  323 

24:8),  since  it  "  cleanseth  from  all  sin"  (i  John  i  :  7), 
thus  establishing  a  better  covenant.  As  true  blood  was 
employed  by  Moses,  the  blood  given  in  the  Holy  Supper 
must  be  the  true  blood  of  Christ  (as  in  the  case  of  His 
body  and  the  bread),  in  conjunction  with  the  wine  ;  never- 
theless, as  gross  flesh  and  blood  were  obviously  not  pre- 
sented by  Him,  the  body  and  blood  which  He  gave  were 
communicated  in  a  manner  incomprehensible  to  man.  So, 
too,  the  union  of  the  invisible  soul  with  the  human  body 
is  a  fact  believed  by  all,  but  capable  of  being  distinctly 
understood  and  explained  by  none.  The  phraseology  in 
Luke  22  :  20  and  i  Cor.  11:25:  "  This  cup,  etc.,''  indicates 
verbal  variations  which  may  be  readily  explained,  when 
we  reflect  that  the  Lord  doubtless,  during  the  distribu- 
tion, repeated  substantially  the  same  truths  with  various 
slight  changes  in  the  mere  words. — C.  Which  is  shed 
for  many^^shed  for  you  (Luke  22  :  20).  The  Lord  pos- 
sibly said  "  for  you,"  and  then,  in  reference  to  the  whole 
human  family  for  which  He  died,  viewed  as  many  when 
compared  with  the  tiuelve,  He  added  :  "and  for  many  ;  " 
that  the  word  is  here  equivalent  to  "  all  "  is  shown  inann. 
to  20  :  28,  F.  The  "  many  "  who  are  dead  are  "  all  "  in 
Rom.  5:  12,  15. — Shed  for^in  your  place.  That  the 
sufferings  and  death  of  Christ,  viewed  as  an  atoning 
sacrifice,  were  vicarious,  that  is,  endured  in  our  place,  is 
taught  not  only  in  Isai.,  ch.  53,  but  also  in  various  portions 
of  the  N.  T.  (see  the  passages,  20  :  28,  E.). — D.  Unto  re= 
mission  of  sins.  When  sin  entered  the  world,  it  sepa- 
rated man  from  God  and  introduced  death  (Rom.  5:12; 
James  1:15).  The  work  of  Christ,  in  its  whole  extent, 
comprehends  the  entire  deliverance  of  man  from  sin,  that 
is,  both  the  removal  of  our  guilt  (derived  from  original 
sin  and  personal  sinful  acts),  and  also*the  sanctification  of 
our  nature.     Hence,  the  remission  (=pardon)  of  sins  is 


324  T^E  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxvi.  29. 

equivalent  to  our  full  restoration  to  divine  favor  and  to 
happiness  (comp.  Rom.  5  :6-2i).  The  circumstance  that 
neither  Matthew  nor  Mark  records  the  words  in  Luke 
22  :  19  ;  I  Cor.  11  :  24,  25,  "in  remembrance  of  me," 
shows  that  the  Lord's  Supper  is  not  chiefly,  much  less 
exclusively,  intended  to  be  a  memorial  of  Christ's  death, 
but  rather  a  means  of  grace  ;  the  agreement  of  all  in 
recording  the  words  :  "  This  is  my  body — blood,"  shows, 
on  the  other  hand,  that  the  communication  of  the  Lord's 
body  and  blood  in  the  sacrament  is  pre-eminently  char- 
acteristic of  the  ordinance.  The  word  employed  by  Paul 
in  I  Cor.  11  :  26 :  "  ye  do  sJiciv  the  Lord's  death  "(trans- 
lated wswsWy prcacJi,  Acts  4:2;  13:38,  and  also  declare, 
Acts  17  :  23  ;  i  Cor.  2:1;  speak  of,  Rom.  i  :  8),  teaches 
that  he  viewed  the  Lord's  Supper  also  as  a  public  con- 
fession of  faith. 

^9  But  I  say  unto  you,  I  will  not  drink  henceforth  of  this  fruit  of  the 
vine,  until  that  day  when  I  drink  it  new  with  you  in  my  Father's  kingdom. 

A  remarkable  accumulation  of  figurative  terms  occurs 
in  this  verse;  even  wine  ("the  blood  of  the  grape,"  Deut. 
32  :  14;  Gen.  49  :  11)  is  here  called  the  fruit  {==producc, 
result ;  comp.  fruits  in  2  Cor.  9  :  10)  of  the  vine.  The 
Lord  frequently  employs  the  image  of  a  banquet  when 
He  designs  to  describe  very  great  happiness  and  enjoy- 
ment (comp.  22  :  2,  C).  In  ch.  8:11,  E.,  it  represents 
the  blessedness  of  the  redeemed  in  heaven.  Now,  at  this 
paschal  supper.  He  had  used  the  language  found  in  this 
verse  both  in  reference  to  the  bread  and  to  the  wine, 
according  to  Luke  22  :  16,  18,  before  He  actually  insti- 
tuted the  Holy  Supper  itself,  as  it  there  appears  from 
ver.  19.  Then,  as  Luke  relates  (ver.  30),  He  introduced 
the  same  expressions  for  the  third  time,  saying :  "  That 
yc  may  eat  and  drink  at  my  table  in  my  kingdom." 
And,  finally,  in  Rev.  19  :  9,  the  "  marriage  supper  of  the 


XXVI.  zg.]  CHAPTER  XXVI.  325 

Lamb  "  is  described  ;  but  this  banquet  (like  the  "  fine 
Hnen  "  which  there,  in  the  foregoing  verse,  is  explained 
to  be  an  image  of  "  the  righteousness  of  the  saints  ") 
is  clearly  an  image  only  of  the  glory  and  bliss  of  the 
redeemed  in  heaven,  and  cannot  be  understood  literally 
of  the  act  of  eating  or  drinking.  Further,  the  word  new, 
as  here  applied  to  the  wine,  cannot  be  literally  under- 
stood, for,  according  to  the  well-known  fact,  "  the  old 
(wine)  is  better  (than  the  new)  "  (Luke  5  :  39),  while  here 
the  "  new  "  wine  is  obviously  so  named  in  the  sense  of 
better,  as  that  word  frequently  is  used,  for  example,  in 
Ps.  33  :  3  ;  2  Cor.  5:17;  Gal.  6:15;  Eph.  4  :  24 ;  Hebr. 
8:8,  13;  2  Peter  3:13;  Rev.  2:  17;  3:  12;  5:9;  2i:i, 
5.  The  kingdom  here,  as  in  Matt.  13  :  43  ;  2  Tim.  4:18, 
is  the  kingdom  of  glory  in  heaven,  after  the  judgment 
has  been  held  and  the  world  has  passed  away.  Luke's 
record  of  the  words  (22  :  30)  resembles  the  language  in 
Matt.  19  :  28,  E.,  and  refers  to  a  future  period  when  the 
Gospel  preached  by  the  apostles  shall  generally  diffuse 
its  blessings  in  the  world.  But  in  the  present  passage 
(Matt.  26  :  29)  the  term  that  day,  which  designates  the 
time  of  the  end  of  the  world  and  of  the  judgment  (see 
7  :  22  ;  24  :  36,  shows  that  the  period  here  specified  is 
that  in  which  the  blessedness  of  the  redeemed  shall 
begin,  when  they  are  admitted  into  heaven  on  the  Gospel 
terms  which  had  been  proclaimed  by  the  inspired  apostles, 
"  the  judges  of  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel  "  (see  19  :  28, 
E.).  It  may  yet  be  added  that  Paul  describes  the  termi- 
nation of  the  practice  of  celebrating  the  Lord's  death  in 
the  Holy  Supper  as  coincident  with  His  coming  to  judg- 
ment (i  Cor.  II  :  26).  The  sense  of  the  present  verse 
then  is  :  This  is  the  last  passover  which  I  shall  celebrate 
with  you.  When  we  next  meet  in  order  to  abide  to- 
gether, seeing  face  to  face  (i  Cor.  13  :  12  ;   Gen.  32  :  30  ; 


326  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.       [xxvi.  30,  31. 

Exod.  33  :  11),  it  will  be  under  circumstances  far  more 
blessed  than  the  present  are,  and  our  union  will  then  be 
eternal.  (The  words  of  Peter  in  Acts  10  :  41  refer,  not 
to  ordinary  meals  in  which  the  Lord  joined  the  disciples 
after  His  resurrection,  but  to  the  incidents  described  in 
Luke  24  :  42  ;  John  21  :  13,  which  were  simply  designed 
to  furnish  evidence  of  the  reality  of  the  Saviour's  pres- 
ence (comp.  Acts  I  :  3).  Hence  the  words  :  "  did  eat 
and  drink,"  as  in  Luke  13  :  26,  are  equivalent  to:  We 
held  intimate  communion  with  Him  in  reality,  and  not 
in  dreams  or  visions.) 

'"  And  when  they  had  sung  a  hymn,  they  went  out  unto  the  mount  of 
Olives. 

A.  Sung  a  hymn^had  hymned,  sung  praises.  It  was 
customary,  at  the  conclusion  of  the  meal,  to  sing  the 
words  of  Ps.  1 1 5-1 18;  these  four  Psalms,  and  the  two 
which  preceded  them  (ver.  21,  A.),  constituted  the  so- 
called  Great  Hallcl=-^Yrdi\SQ.  The  Hebrew  word  Hallelu- 
jah (Rev.  19:  I,  3,  4,  6)  signifies:  Praise  ye  Jehovah 
(see  Ps.  106  :  i,  margin). — B.  They  went,  etc.^towards 
Gethsemane  (ver.  36;  John  18  :  i).  For  mount  of  Olives, 
see  21  :  I.  The  words  recorded  in  John  (ch.  14 — ch.  17) 
had  been  previously  spoken. 

^'  Then  saith  Jesus  unto  them,  All  ye  shall  be  offended  in  me  this  night : 
for  it  is  written,  I  will  smite  the  shepherd,  and  the  sheep  of  the  flock  shall 
be  scattered  abroad. 

A.  Then=after  having  left  the  house. — B.  All  .  .  . 
night.  This  language  enables  us  to  determine  the  mo- 
ment when  Judas  finally  withdrew.  He  could  not  retire 
at  an  earlier  moment,  unless  temporarily  (ver.  20,  C,  and 
25,  C),  without  attracting  attention,  which  circumstance 
his  plan  required  him  to  avoid.  When,  however,  all  had 
left  the  house  at  a  very  late  hour  of  the  evening,  and  he 
now  knew  the  place  of  destination,  the  darkness  enabled 


XXVI.  31.]  CHAPTER  XXVI.  327 

him  to  depart  without  observation,  as  he  hoped,  and  to 
inform  the  Pharisees  that  a  favorable  opportunity  for 
seizing  his  Master  in  comparative  sohtude  had  arrived. 
Nevertheless,  the  all-seeing  eye  of  the  Saviour  followed 
Judas,  and  a  remark  in  reference  to  his  absence,  or,  prob- 
ably, a  distinct  revelation  of  the  apostasy  of  Judas,  was 
made.  Possibly  the  disciples  then  referred,  by  way  of 
contrast,  to  their  own  fidelity;  in  order  to  unveil  to  them 
their  own  weakness,  Christ  now  replied  :  All  ye,  who  still 
remain,  shall  (=will)  be,  etc. — C.  Offended  (see  5  :  29, 
C).  The  sense  is  :  Ye,  too,  alarmed  and  discouraged, 
will  betray  weakness  of  faith,  and  even  desert  Me,  before 
this  night  has  passed  away.  The  literal  fulfilment  of  this 
prediction  is  mentioned  below  (ver.  56). — D,  For  it  is 
written.  The  language  does  not  mean  that  this  predic- 
tion itself  caused  the  dispersion  of  the  disciples,  or  ren- 
dered it  necessary.  So,  in  Acts  27  :  9,  the  "  fast  "  did 
not  render  the  sailing  dangerous,  but  the  late  season  of 
the  year,  with  which  the  feast  coincided,  was  the  cause 
(comp.  I  :  22,  A.).  Here  the  sense  is  :  Your  flight  was 
foreseen  by  the  omniscient  God  and  foretold  ;  being  a 
foreseen  event,  it  will  occur,  as  the  prophet  accordingly 
wrote.  An  essential  difference  exists,  on  the  one  hand, 
between  the  temporary  unfaithfulness  of  the  disciples, 
when  they  were  seized  by  a  panic,  and  hastily  fled  with- 
out any  deliberate  purpose  to  abandon  their  Lord,  and, 
on  the  other,  the  conduct  of  Judas,  who  deliberately  and 
calmly  devised  and  arranged  his  treacherous  plan.  Hence 
the  Lord  utters  the  following  words  (ver.  31,  32),  which 
embrace,  first,  a  prophetic  passage,  and,  secondly,  a  gra- 
cious promise  that  includes  a  renewed  prediction  of  His 
resurrection.  The  disciples  now  learn  that  their  conduct 
would  not  take  their  Master  by  surprise. — E.  I  will 
smite,    etc.     The  words   are   found   in  Zech.    13:7.     In 


328  THE  GOSPEL   UE  ST.  MATTHEW.        [xxvi.  32,  33. 

that  remarkable  chapter,  which  opens  with  a  glorious 
revelation  of  the  atoning  work  of  Christ,  the  prophet 
refers  to  the  period  of  four  centuries,  extending  from 
Malachi  to  the  advent  of  the  Saviour,  during  which  the 
voice  of  prophecy  was  silent  ;  he  implies,  in  highly 
figurative  language,  first,  that  when  the  great  Prophet 
announced  by  Moses  (Deut.  18  :  15)  shall  finally  appear, 
He  shall  be  denied,  persecuted  and  slain  ;  and,  secondly, 
that  His  adherents  ("  sheep — flock  ")  shall  be  dispersed. 
The  feelings  of  the  distressed  disciples  during  the  short 
(Mark  16  :  14)  period  of  their  dispersion  are  illustrated 
in  Luke  24  :  21,  ff. 

^^  But  after  I  am  raised  up,  I  will  go  before  you  into  Galilee. 

Risen  again  (see  16  :  21  ;  20  :  19). — Go  before,  etc.  The 
Lord,  according  to  28:  16,  named  ("appointed")  the 
mountain  where  the  meeting  should  occur,  but  the  locality 
is  now  unknown.  The  whole  spirit  of  the  words — serenity 
and  confidence — indicating  that  the  Lord  would  victori- 
ously live  again,  and  renew  His  intercourse  with  His 
people,  is  animating  in  the  highest  degree, 

^^  But  Peter  answered  and  said  unto  him,  If  all  shall  be  offended  in  thee, 
I  will  never  be  offended. 

A.  Peter  answered.  The  impetuousness  which  origin- 
ally predominated  in  the  character  of  Peter  (comp.  14  : 
28  ;  16  :  16,  22  ;  26  :  51  ;  John  13  :  8,  9  ;  20  :  6 ;  21  :  7), 
and  which  prompted  him  to  speak  and  act  while  others 
deliberated,  was  subsequently  so  controlled  and  elevated 
by  grace  as  to  assume  the  form  of  heroic  and  enduring 
courage  (comp.  Acts  2  :  14). — B.  If  all,  etc.  The  general 
character  and  conduct  of  Peter  furnish  satisfactory  evi- 
dence that  these  words  only  scan  to  reflect  unkindly  on 
the  fidelity  of  his  fellow-disciples.  That  Peter  referred 
to  the  disciples  is  indicated  in  John  21  :  15,  ff.  He 
simply  expresses  his  own  conviction  that  Jic  could  never 


xxvr.  34,  35.]  CHAPTER  XXVI.  329 

be  guilty  of  deliberate  apostasy  ;  the  words  If  all  indicate 
that  a  case  is  supposed  which,  in  the  speaker's  view, 
will  not  probably  occur.  He  does  not  desire  to  lower 
others  in  his  Master's  esteem,  and  is  unquestionably 
sincere  ;  but  he  relies  too  presumptuously  on  his  own 
strength. — Offended.  Peter  repeats  the  word  employed 
by  his  Master  (ver.  31). 

^*  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Verily  I  say  unto  thee,  That  this  night,  before 
the  cock  crow,  thou  slialt  deny  me  thrice. 

A.  Jesus  said.  The  Lord  designed  to  elevate  Peter 
to  an  important  post  ;  but  humility  and  reliance  on 
divine  grace  exclusively  were  indispensable  qualifications. 
The  Lord  reveals  to  Peter  the  approaching  fall  of  the 
latter,  so  that  the  lesson  of  self-abasement  which  it 
taught  might,  by  the  distinctness  given  to  it  in  this  con- 
versation, make  an  indelible  impression. — B.  Before 
.  ,  .  crow=before  the  morning  comes.  The  third  watch 
of  the  night,  extending  from  midnight  to  three  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  was  called  by  a  Greek  name  signifying 
cock-crozvi)ig  {yS.dii.i.  13  :  35).  The  first  cock-crowing  was 
assumed  to  occur  at  midnight,  the  close  of  the  second 
watch,  and  the  second  about  three  o'clock  A.  M.,  at  which 
time  the  fourth  watch  began.  In  Mark  14  :  30  the  word 
"  twice  "  is  added  ;  this  expression  defines  with  precision 
that  the  three  denials  of  Peter  would  occur  at  or  after 
midnight  and  before  the  rising  of  the  sun  (comp.  ver.  69, 
ff.,  with  27  :  i). — C.  Deny.  The  word  here  (see  16  :  24, 
B.  ;  comp.  with  Luke  12  :  9)  is  equivalent  to  disozvn,  dis- 
claim all  relationship  or  connection  with  any  one  (see 
ver.  74).  The  sense  is  :  Thou  wilt,  in  place  of  boldly 
and  consistently  adhering  to  Me,  three  times  distinctly 
disavow  Me  and  My  cause. 

^'  Peter  saith  unto  him.  Even  if  I  must  die  with  thee,  yet  will  I  not  deny 
thee.     Likewise  also  said  all  the  disciples. 


330  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.        [xxvi.  36,  37. 

A.  Even  if  .  .  .  deny  thee.  Peter  now  uses  still 
more  emphatic  language. — B.  Likewise,  etc.  The  dis- 
ciples, too,  sincerely  loved  their  Master  ;  when  Peter  ex- 
pressed his  devotion  to  the  Lord  in  such  unequivocal 
terms,  he  merely  expressed  common  feeling,  which  had 
been  once  before  acknowledged  by  Thomas,  in  John 
1 1  :  16. 

^*  Then  cometh  Jesus  with  them  unto  a  place  called  Gethsemane,  and 
saith  unto  his  disciples,  Sit  ye  here,  while  I  go  yonder  and  pray. 

A.  Then.  The  foregoing  conversation  appears  to  have 
been  held  on  the  way. — B.    A  place  called  Qethsemane=- 

a  plantation  or  "  garden"  (John  18  :  i)  extending  along 
the  brook  Cedron,  at  the  foot  of  the  Mount  of  Olives 
(Luke  22  :  39).  The  name,  which  signifies  oil-press,  in- 
dicates the  business  of  the  proprietor.  It  was  a  favorite 
place  of  resort  of  the  Saviour  (John  18:2).  Tradition 
points  to  its  site  on  the  east  of  the  city.  In  the  enclos- 
ure Robinson  found,  in  1838,  "  eight  very  old  olive  trees  " 
(Bibl.  Res.  I.  234). — C.  Sit  ye,  etc.  The  disciples  to 
whom  these  words  are  addressed  are  the  eight  that  re- 
mained after  Judas  withdrew,  and  after  Peter,  and  James 
and  John,  the  two  sons  of  Zebedee  (4  :  21),  accompanied 
the  Lord  somewhat  further  (ver.  37,  38).  The  eight 
were  on  several  other  occasions  excluded  from  scenes  to 
which  the  three  just  mentioned  were  admitted  (see  17  : 
I,  B.).— D.  While  I,  etc.  (see  14  :  23,  A.).  On  this 
solemn  occasion  the  Lord's  threefold  act  of  prayer  (ver. 
44;  comp.  2  Cor.  12  :  8)  was  marked  by  a  continued  in- 
crease of  intensity  of  feeling  (Luke  22  :  44). 

^'  And  he  took  with  him  Peter  and  the  two  sons  of  Zebedee,  and  began 
to  be  sorrowful  and  sore  troubled. 

A.     Peter  .   .  .  Zebedee  (see  ver.   ^6,  C). — B.     Began. 

The  Lord  had  always  been  calm  or  composed  in  His 
demeanor,    sometimes  happy    and    cheerful,   often    very 


XXVI.  37]  CHAPTER  XXVI.  331 

grave,  but  never  gloomy.  The  present  unusual  dis- 
quietude is  indicated  by  the  word  began — To  be  sorrow= 
ful^to  be  painfully  affected.  The  word  employed  in 
Mark  14  :  33,  *'  sore  (=greatly,  17:6)  amazed,"  is  trans- 
lated in  Mark  16  :  5,  6,  "  affrighted,"  and  indicates  an 
overwhelming  sense  of  distress. — 5ore  troubled.  The 
original  term,  occurring  also  in  Phil.  2  :  26,  here  indicates 
anguish,  a  painful  feeling  of  desolation,  or  those  sensa- 
tions which  sometimes  cause  a  shuddering.  ["  The  con- 
fused, restless,  half-distracted  state,  which  is  produced  by 
physical  derangement  or  by  mental  disorders." — LlGHT- 
FOOT.] — C.  The  Lord's  "  agony  "  (Luke  22  :  44),  or 
"travail  (=anguish)  of  soul"  (Isai.  53  :  ii),  in  Geth- 
semane,  which  even  the  three  favored  disciples  were  not 
permitted  to  witness  fully,  is,  particularly  in  view  of  His 
own  remarkable  expressions  (ver.  39),  a  very  mysterious 
subject. 

§  I.  He  twice  refers  to  it  by  way  of  anticipation  :  first, 
in  Luke  12  :  50  ("  straitened  "=distressed  ;  comp.  the 
allied  word  "distress,"  Luke  21  :  25  ;  "anguish  "  2  Cor. 
2:4);  and,  secondly,  in  John  12  :  27  ("  troubled,"  which 
word  is  found  in  Matt.  14  :  26,  B.).  Now,  we  read  in 
Hebr.  5  :  7  that  in  "  the  days  of  his  flesh  "  (=after  the 
eternal  Son  of  God  had  assumed  human  nature,  John 
I  :  14,  and  before  He  died  on  the  cross),  "  He  offered  up 
prayers  and  supplications  with  strong  crying  and  tears 
.  .  .  and  was  heard  in  that  He  feared  ;  "  the  latter  clause, 
as  many  explain  it,  signifies  :  His  prayer  was  answered, 
and  He  was  delivered  from  His  distress.  In  Luke  22  :  53, 
after  the  agony  had  passed  away,  but  while  the  pains  of 
the  cross  still  impended,  the  Lord  says  to  His  enemies  : 
This  is  your  hour  and  [is]  the  power  of  darkness  (comp. 
the  latter  clause  with  passages  like  2  Cor.  6  :  14,  15;    Eph. 


332  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxvi.  37. 

6  :  12).  The  words  doubtless  refer  to  renewed  manifesta- 
tions of  the  malice  of  Satan,  who  departed  from  Him 
only  "  for  a  season,"  after  the  temptation  (see  above,  4  : 
II,  A.),  but  perpetually  renewed  his  assaults  (16  :  23,  B.). 
He  was  now  permitted  once  more  to  exercise  all  his 
powers  of  temptation.  The  result  was,  that  the  Saviour, 
according  to  Hebr.  2  :  10,  17,  18  ;  4  :  15,  was  not  only 
"  in  all  points  tempted  like  as  we  are,"  but  by  His 
prayers  and  faith,  which  secured  the  victory,  was  made 
"  perfect  through  suffering,"  and  thus  could  give  assur- 
ance to  every  sorrowing  soul  that  He  was  "  touched  with 
the  feeling  of  our  infirmities  "^a  sympathizing  Mediator. 
The  Lord's  agony  had  no  connection  with  the  natural 
dread  of  suffering  a  painful  death  ;  for  that  dread  many 
martyrs  of  both  sexes,  when  put  to  the  rack  or  cast  into 
the  fire,  and  even  many  prisoners  of  war,  have  overcome. 
Neither  did  it  proceed  from  any  consciousness  of  bearing 
the  Father's  wrath  as  if  He  were  personally  guilty,  for,  on 
the  contrary.  He  was  always  conscious  of  His  Father's 
love  (John  10  :  17).  God  "made  him  to  be  sin  for  us, 
who  knew  no  sin"  (2  Cor.  5  :  21)="  laid  on  him  the 
iniquity  of  us  all  "  (Isai.  53  :  6),  that  is,  allowed  Him  to 
sustain  the  anguish  and  the  penalty  to  which  our  sins  lead. 
"Christ  endured  my  sorrow,  in  order  to  bestow  His  joy 
on  me." — AMBROSE. 

§  2.  Such  scriptural  declarations  teach  that  the  Saviour 
endured  a  struggle  in  Gethsemane  of  unusual  intensity 
and  anguish,  which  no  mortal  can  understand.  He  was 
on  the  point  of  completing  that  great  atoning  work  on 
which  all  heaven  gazed  with  deep  interest  (i  Peter  i  : 
12).  In  the  awful  moments  which  preceded  His  cruel 
death  He  was  overwhelmed  with  grief ;  the  whole  enor- 
mity of  the  guilt    of  the    human  race  oppressed  Him,  for 


XXVI.  27-]  CHAPTER  XXVI.  333 

He  alone  could  see  it  in  its  whole  fearful  extent.  Even 
as  death,  with  all  its  eternal  results,  is  a  far  more  solemn 
event  in  the  eye  of  an  enlightened  Christian  than  in  that 
of  an  ignorant  and  stupid  heathen,  so  the  spiritual  evils 
of  men  were  more  distinctly  revealed  to  the  Saviour's  eye 
in  all  their  horror  than  to  our  own.  The  burden  was 
too  weighty  for  His  mere  human  nature  :  "  His  sweat  was 
as  it  were  great  drops  of  blood  "  (Luke  22  :  44).  Who 
can  measure  or  conceive  of  the  anguish  of  His  soul,  while 
this  inward  conflict  prevailed  ?  Or  who  can  approach 
that  mysterious  presence  and  unveil  or  explain  that  agony 
which  the  eye  of  the  Father  alone  beheld  ?  As  after  the 
first  temptation  (Mark  i  :  13),  so  here  His  human  nature 
was  bowed  down  under  the  awful  burden  laid  upon  it  ;  it 
would  have  been  prostrated  if  "  an  angel  had  not 
appeared  unto  him  from  heaven,  strengthening  him" 
(Luke  22  :  43). 

§  3.  At  the  same  time,  another  glance  which  the 
Scriptures  permit  us  to  cast  on  the  Saviour's  agony 
reveals  the  fact  that  He  did  not  entertain  any  sense 
of  personal  guilt,  and  that  hence  the  Father's  presence 
and  love  were  not  for  one  moment  withdrawn,  as  we 
learn  from  John  8  :  29 ;  10  :  17  and  16  :  32.  The  awful 
struggle  of  the  Saviour  must  have  therefore  consisted  in 
part  in  some  powerful  temptation  (indicated  perhaps  by 
the  word  "  agony  "  in  Luke  22  :  /^-=conflict),  the  nature 
of  which  is  not  revealed,  or  else  in  an  agonizing  feeling 
of  the  accumulated  weight  of  "the  sin  of  the  world," 
which  His  vicarious  sufferings  and  death  were  intended 
to  expiate  (John  i  :  29). 

§  4.  The  intense  sufferings  of  the  Lord,  which  far 
exceeded  those  of  any  martyr,  are  thus  explained  by 
Luther  in  a  sermon  on  the   sufferings   of   Christ   in   the 


334  7'^-^  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxvi.  38. 

Garden  :  "  We,  who  are  ordinary  mortals,  and  who  are 
conceived  and  born  in  sin  (Ps.  5  ^  •  5)>  have  a  nature 
(flesh)  which  is  unclean  and  destitute  of  delicacy  of  feel- 
ing. Yet  even  we  find  that  we  are  less  obtuse  and  in- 
sensible to  bodily  pain  in  proportion  to  the  degree  in 
which  the  blood  is  pure,  the  health  vigorous,  the  mind 
clear,  and  the  whole  bodily  organization  in  a  natural  state. 
Now,  as  Christ  was  altogether  holy  and  free  from  sin, 
His  sensations  both  of  pain  and  of  pleasure  must  have 
been  far  more  exquisite  than  our  own,  so  that  He  must 
have  suffered  much  more  intensely  from  the  pains  of 
death  than  we,  with  our  corrupt  bodies,  can  do.  He  was 
therefore  the  greatest  martyr  that  ever  lived,  and  the 
'terrors  of  death  '  overwhelmed  Him  with  more  horror 
(Ps.  55:4,  5)  than  ordinary  mortals  in  their  depraved 
state  experience." 

§  5.  The  expression  "  this  cup,"  in  Matt.  26  :  39, 
does  not  refer  exclusively  to  the  actual  death  of  Christ, 
which  from  the  beginning  He  was  willing  to  suffer  (Hebr. 
10  :  5-10),  but  to  those  intense  sorrows  of  soul  which  He 
experienced  in  that  awful  hour  (20  :  22,  B.) ;  it  is  so  ex- 
plained in  Mark  14:35:  "  He  prayed  that  .  .  .  the  hour 
might  pass  from  him."  That  cup  did  pass  away  (see 
above,  §  i),  when  He  prevailed,  and  was  strengthened 
by  an  angel  (§  2,  above).  Afterwards,  in  John  18:1  i,the 
same  term,  indicative  of  suffering,  is  extended  in  sense 
(corresponding  to  the  comprehensive  term  "  passion,"  see 
ann.  to  ver.  i),  and  applied  alike  to  the  pain  which  the 
treachery  of  Judas  occasioned,  to  the  personal  indignities 
offered  to  the  Lord,  and  to  the  whole  of  the  subsequent 
sufferings. 

3*  Then  saith  he  unto  them,  My  soul  is  exceeding  sorrowful,  even  unto 
death :  abide  ye  here,  and  watch  with  me. 


XXVI.  39]  CHAPTER  XXVI.  335 

A.  My  soul  .  .  .  sorrowful  (see  ann.  to  ver.  37). — B. 
Even  unto  death.  A  proverbial  cxpre.ssion=I  am  ready 
to  die  under  the  crushing  weight  of  My  distress.  "  The 
sorrows  of  death  compassed  me  "  (Ps.  18  :  4). — C.  Abide 
-=remain  here  while  I  go  "  forward  a  little  "  (Mark  14  : 
34,  35).  The  soul  often  shrinks  from  exposing  its  deepest 
emotions  to  the  gaze  of  mortals.  No  eye  but  that  of 
God  could  witness  the  whole  intensity  of  the  Saviour's 
conflict. — D.  And  watch  with  me.  The  word  for  watch, 
translated  wake  in  i  Thess.  5  :  10,  often  refers  to  the  full 
consciousness  of  a  living  person,  as  opposed  to  a  state  of 
unconsciousness==death  ;  here  it  similarly  implies,  in  a 
warning  tone,  that  the  disciples  should  remain  wakeful 
and  be  on  their  guard  (see  below,  ver.  41). — With  me^ 
along,  or  together  zuith  Me,  that  is,  as  well  as  I  watch. 
The  Lord  does  not  ask  them  to  pray  with  (in  company 
with)  Him  ;  that  communion  of  His  soul  with  God  none 
could  aid  ;  "  the  heart  knoweth  his  (its)  own  bitterness" 
(Prov.  14:  10). 

^'  And  he  went  forward  a  little,  and  fell  on  his  face,  and  prayed,  saying, 
O  my  Father,  if  it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass  from  me  :  nevertheless,  not 
as  I  will,  but  as  thou  wilt. 

A.  Fell  on  his  face.  Prayer,  when  performed  in  this 
attitude,  indicated  the  deepest  degree  of  self-abasement 
(Numb.  16  :  22  ;  Neh.  8:6;  and  see  Matt.  6:5,  B.).  Such 
a  posture  was,  likewise,  the  expression  of  overpowering 
emotion  (comp.  Matt.  17:6).  Here  it  is  an  affecting  il- 
lustration of  the  Lord's  "  travail  of  soul  "  (ver.  37,  C.). — 
B.  If  it  be  possible="  if  thou  be  willing "  (Luke  22  : 
42  ;  see  24  :  24,  C.).  The  Lord  does  not  ask  to  be 
exempted  from  death  itself,  but  to  be  delivered  from  the 
inexpressible  agony  of  soul  which  at  that  moment  He  en- 
dured. The  sense  is:  If  it  be  consistent  with  Thy  will 
to   deliver  Me,  etc. — This  cup=this    agony  (see  above, 


336  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxvi.  40. 

ann.  to  ver.  37,  C,  §  5,  and  ch.  20  :  22,  B.). — C  Never- 
theless, etc.  (comp.  John  5  :  30 ;  6  :  38).  These  subhme 
words  express  the  sentiments  which  every  intelUgent 
creature  of  God  should  entertain.  When  the  eternal  Son 
of  God  "  in  the  days  of  his  flesh  "  (ver.  37,  C,  §  i)  en- 
dured a  trial  transcending  the  strength  of  ordinary  mortals, 
He  nevertheless  unreservedly  and  fully  yielded  to  the 
Father's  will.  Hence  He  could  say :  "  I  do  always  those 
things  that  please  him  "  (John  8  :  29). 

*°  And  he  cometh  unto  the  disciples,  and  findeth  them  sleeping,  and  saith 
unto  Peter,  What,  could  ye  not  watch  with  me  one  hour  ? 

A.  Findeth  them  sleeping,  and  saith.  The  language 
of  the  Lord  gently  rebukes  the  disciples  for  yielding  to 
their  inclination  to  sleep.  Still,  this  language  may  be 
misunderstood  unless  we  notice  the  remarkable  words  of 
*'  Luke,  the  beloved  physician  "  (Col.  4  :  14),  who,  in  ch. 
22,  ver.  45,  represents  them  as  "  sleeping  for  sorrow,"  and 
also  the  statement  in  Luke  9  :  32,  that  on  the  occasion  of 
the  transfiguration  the  same  disciples  were  "  heavy  with 
(= weighed  down  by)  sleep  "=in  a  torpor.  In  both  cases 
the  feelings  of  these  disciples  had  been  excited  in  an 
unusual  degree  ;  in  the  latter  especially  they  understood 
that  a  fearful  crisis  had  arrived,  and  their  alarm  and 
anxiety,  of  which  we  can  scarcely  conceive,  completely 
exhausted  all  their  bodily  strength.  It  has  been  remarked 
by  medical  writers  that  in  situations  which  create  unusual 
uneasiness,  profound  grief  and  anxiety  or  any  other  exces- 
sive tension  of  the  soul,  nature  seeks  relief  in  the  uncon- 
sciousness of  heavy  sleep  or  stupor.  This  circumstance 
fully  explains  the  continued  drowsiness  of  the  disciples, 
which  arose,  not  from  the  feeble  but  rather  the  powerful 
interest  ^\■ith  which  they  beheld  their  Master's  danger. — 
B.  Saith  unto  Peter= who  had  rashly  professed,  ver.  25, 
that  he  could  o\'crcome  even  the  terrors  of  death. — C. 


XXVI.  41]  CHAPTER  XXVI.  337 

What,  could,  etc.,  lit.  Are  ye  so  (=in  this  manner,  or,  to 
such  a  degree)  unable  to  watch,  etc.  The  same  Greek 
phrase  ("  Is  it  so,  that  ")  occurs  in  i  Cor.  6  :  5.  Tlie  re- 
buke, which  recoL^nizes  the  unusual  oppression  of  the  dis- 
ciples, implies  that  it  should  have  called  forth  unusual 
efforts  to  prevail  over  their  grief.  [Can  you  not  even 
zvatch  with  Me,  while  I  agonize  for  you  ?]  It  mournfully 
alludes  to  the  Lord's  lonely  state  in  the  hour  of  His  deep- 
est grief  (comp.  Ps.  69  :  20). 

■*'  Watch  and  pray,  that  ye  enter  not  into  temptation  :  the  spirit  indeed 
is  willing,  but  the  flesh  is  weak. 

A.  Watch.  This  word  had  occurred  in  ver.  38,  D. ; 
here  it  is  evidently  employed  in  the  more  usual  spiritual 
sense  (comp.  24  :  42,  B. ;  Acts  20  :  31  ;  i  Cor.  16  :  13). 
The  following  is  implied  :  The  tempter  is  near  ;  you  may 
at  any  moment  be  led  away  from  the  path  of  duty  ;  there- 
fore be  on  your  guard.  (See,  for  such  a  twofold  sense,  the 
word  "  dead  "  in  8  :  22,  and  the  word  "  sleep  "  in  i  Thess. 
5  :  6,  7,  comp.  with  ver.  10). — B.  Pray=seek  direct  com- 
munion with  God,  and  ask  for  His  divine  aid — for  the 
"  shield  of  faith,  wherewith,  etc."  (Eph.  6  :  16  ;  comp.  17  : 
20  ;  Mark  9  :  23). — C.  That  ye  .  .  .  temptation=that 
the  temptation  to  which  ye  will  be  exposed  may  not  pre- 
vail through  your  own  neglect,  nor  occasion  your  fall,  by 
your  act  of  consenting  to  it. — Enter  into  (see  6:13,  A., 
and  comp.  i  Tim.  6:9).  Peter  doubtless  recalled  to  mind 
the  present  scene  with  deep  feeling,  when  he  afterwards 
wrote  the  words  in  i  Peter  4:7;  5  :  8. — D,  The  spirit, 
etc.  The  Lord  in  His  infinitely  tender  love  designs  to 
say  that  He  by  no  means  ascribes  to  these  disciples  the 
unholy  purposes  of  Judas,  and  that  he  well  knows  that 
they  desire  to  be  faithful.  Still,  no  man,  since  the  fall  of 
Adam,  possesses  any  strength  of  his  own,  or  can  believe 

in  God,  love  Him   and  keep  Wi  commandments,  without 
22 


338  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.        [xxvi.  42-44. 

divine  aid.  Even  the  upright  beHever  can,  at  best,  only 
repeat  Paul's  words  in  Rom.  7  :  18. — Willing=^rcw/'/, 
ready,  as  in  Mark  14  :  38  ;  Rom.  1:15.  The  terms  spirit 
and  flesh  in  this  passage,  which  refers  to  those  who  are 
already  believers,  maybe  explained  from  Rom.  7  :  18,  22, 
25,  and  ch.  8  ;  Eph.  3  :  16.  The  former  designates  here 
the  "  inward  man  "  or  "  mind  "=the  moral  nature,  the 
soul,  enlightened  and  renewed  by  grace  ;  the  latter  here 
specially  indicates  not  so  much  our  bodily  or  human 
nature,  as  rather  our  human  nature  in  its  present  dis- 
ordered or  corrupt  state,  as  in  John  3:6;  Gal.  5  :  16,  19  ; 
Eph.  2  :  3.  The  Christian  daily  struggles  with  the  evil 
tendencies  of  his  nature,  until  at  death  he  is  freed  from 
the  last  traces  of  original  sin. 

42-44  Again,  a  second  time,  he  went  away,  and  prayed,  saying,  O  my 
Father,  if  this  cannot  pass  away,  except  I  drink  it,  thy  will  be  done. — And 
he  came  again,  and  found  them  sleeping  :  for  their  eyes  were  heavy. — And 
he  left  them  again  and  went  away,  and  prayed  a  third  time,  saying  again  the 
same  words. 

The  Saviour  went  away  thrice  and  prayed,  first  kneel- 
ing (Luke  22  :  41),  then  falling  on  His  face  (ver.  39, 
above). — Their  eyes  were  heavy^with  sleep,  as  in  Luke 
9  :  32  (see  ver.  40,  A.). — Saying  the  same  words,  but 
with  emotions  increasing  in  power,  which  gave  new  mean- 
ing to  the  words  in  the  eyes  of  God  (ver.  36,  D.).  Thus 
"  the  same  words  "  of  the  Lord's  Prayer,  or  of  appro- 
priate forms  of  prayer  regularly  read  at  public  worship, 
may  be  repeated  continually  with  new  fervor  and  devo- 
tion, even  as  the  same  Jiyuins  are  often  sung  by  a  congre- 
gation. It  is  not  the  repetition  itself  oi  the  same  prayer, 
and  even  of  the  very  words,  which  is  censured  in  6  :  7,  A., 
but  the  absence  of  devout  feeling  or  of  faith  and  love.— 
["  Lower  forms  of  sorrow  may,  as  it  were,  play  with  grief 
and  vary  the  forms  of  its  expression,  but  the  deepest  and 


XXVI.  45]  CHAPTER  XXVI.  339 

sharpest  agony  is  content  to  fall  back  upon  the  iteration 
of  the  self-same  words." — Plumptre.] — "  How  forcibly 
this  exhibition  of  the  Saviour's  course  teaches  us  to  per- 
severe in  prayer  in  seasons  of  temptation."- — Luther. 

**  Then  cometh  he  to  the  disciples,  and  saith  unto  them,  Sleep  on  now, 
and  take  your  rest:  behold,  the  hour  is  at  hand,  and  the  Son  of  man  is 
betrayed  into  the  hands  of  sinners. 

A.  Sleep  on  now.  As  the  disciples  are  informed  that 
"  the  hour  is  at  hand,"  and  are  commanded,  in  the  next 
verse,  to  "  rise,"  some  interpreters  have  proposed  to  read 
these  words  interrogatively =do  ye  sleep  ?  But  the  orig- 
inal phrase  translated  now,  as  in  Hebr.  10  :  13,  rather 
means  henceforward,  or,  more  literally,  "  tJie  rest,"  namely, 
of  the  time,  and  could  not  be  introduced  into  such  a 
question  in  a  natural  manner.  The  sense  doubtless  is: 
My  struggle  is  over  ;  now  am  I  ready  ;  until  the  betrayer 
comes,  take  your  rest=seek  repose,  until  they  come ! 
Here  a  pause  of  some  length  occurs,  such  as,  in  a  similar 
case,  must  evidently  be  assumed  at  the  end  of  John,  ch. 
14,  before  the  words  in  15  :  i  are  uttered.  The  disciples 
accordingly  slumber,  and  the  Saviour  remains  at  their 
side  in  silence,  recovering  from  the  exhaustion  which 
followed  His  agony,  and  seeking  in  silent  prayer  the 
strength  which  He  would  need  in  the  new  conflict  that 
was  at  hand.  The  English  text  would  indicate  this  inter- 
pretation if  printed  thus:  "  and  take  your  rest. — Behold, 
the  hour,  etc."^ — B.  Behold,  etc.  These  words,  intro- 
duced by  the  exclamation,  "It  is  enough"  (Mark  14  : 
41),  and  indicating  haste,  are  uttered  after  the  interval  of 
rest  just  described  above  in  A.,  and  are  intended  to 
arouse  the  slumbering  disciples. — The  hour  is  at  hand, 
lit.  has  drawn  near=thQ  time  of  My  death  and  victory 
(comp.  John  12  :  23  ;  13  :  i).— Is  betrayed  (or,  delivered, 
17  :  22,  23)=the  deed  is  done!    Judas  has  consummated 


340  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.       [xxvi.  46,  47. 

his  crime! — Sinners^Judas,  the  Jews  and  the  Roman 
soldiers  (Acts  2  :  23). 

^*  Arise,  let  us  be  going  :  behold,  he  is  at  hand  that  betrayeth  me. 

Let  us  be  going=to  meet  the  approaching  enemies. 
The  Lord  exhibits  divine  fortitude,  although  He  knew 
"  all  things  that  should  come  upon  him"  (John  18  :  4). — 
He  is  at  hand,  etc.  The  Lord  calls  the  attention  of  His 
disciples  to  the  approaching  light  of  the  torches  gleaming 
through  the  trees  of  Gethsemane,  and  to  the  sounds  of 
the  clashing  weapons  mentioned  in  John  18:3.  As  the 
Jewish  month  always  began  with  the  new  moon,  the 
passover,  which  was  on  the  14th  day,  necessarily  occurred 
at  the  time  of  full  moon  (see  above,  ver.  2,  B.,  §  2). 
Hence,  these  torches  were  designed  to  enable  the  men  to 
explore  the  dark  recesses  of  the  garden. 

*'  And  while  he  yet  spake,  lo,  Judas,  one  of  the  twelve,  came,  and  with 
him  a  great  multitude  with  swords  and  staves,  from  the  chief  priests  and 
elders  of  the  people. 

A.  Judas  .  .  .  twelve  (see  ver.  14). — B.  A  great  .  .  . 
staves  (John  18:3;  Luke  22  :  52).  There  was  a  temple- 
guard,  consisting  of  Levites,  regularly  maintained  in  the 
city,  which  was,  with  the  officers,  subject  to  the  orders  of 
the  high  priest ;  Judas  had  previously  seen  the  captains 
(Luke  22  :  4).  The  mention  of  swords,  in  addition  to 
staves  (here=rods,  clubs,  see  10:  10,  D.),  and  the  occur- 
rence of  the  Greek  military  terms  "  band  "  (a  cohort,  or, 
possibly,  manipulus)  and  "  captain "  (answering  here 
nearly  to  the  modern  colonel')  in  John  18  :  3,  12  (comp. 
Matt.  27  :  27  ;  Acts  10  :  i  ;  27  :  i),  seem  to  indicate  that 
a  troop  of  soldiers,  sent  forth  by  Pilate  at  the  request  of 
the  Jews,  constituted  a  part  of  this  multitude.  Some 
resistance  may  have  been  apprehended  by  the  Jews  on 
the  part  of  the  disciples,  who,  as  Judas  knew,  possessed 
two    swords    (Matt.    26:51;     Luke    22  :  38).     For    the 


XXVI.  48,  49]  CHAPTER  XXVL 


341 


temple-guard,  see  i  Chron.  9  :  17,  27  ;  24  :  5  ;  Acts  4.  :  i  ; 
5  :  26  ;  Jos.  War,  2,  12,  I  ;  6,  5,  3.— C  From  the  chief 
priests,  etc.=according  to  whose  official  directions  the 
band  of  armed  men  here  acted. 

*^  Now  he  that  betrayed  him  gave  them  a  sign,  saying,  Whomsoever  I 
shall  kiss,  that  is  he ;  take  him. 

A.  A  sign=a  private  signal,  intended  to  identify  the 
individual  whom  the  band  should  seize.  Judas  probably 
gave  them  a  sign=notified  them,  while  they  were  march- 
ing, and  immediately  before  He  came  forward,  as  the 
word  "  forthwith  "  in  ver.  49  shows. — B.  Kiss.  The 
oriental  custom,  according  to  which  a  kiss  indicated  both 
friendship  and  love  between  persons  of  the  same  sex 
(2  Sam.  15:5;  Ruth  i  :  14)  when  they  met  or  when  they 
parted  (Gen.  ^^t,  :  4;  Exod.  4  :  27 ;  i  Sam.  10  :  i  ;  Luke 
7  :  45  ;  Acts  20  :  T^y),  and  also  reverence  and  devotion 
(Ps.  2:12;  I  Kings  19:18;  Hos.  13:2),  is  often  men- 
tioned in  the  Scriptures.  The  kiss  was  imprinted  on  the 
lips  (Gen.  33  :  4  ;  i  Sam.  20  :  41),  or  the  beard  (2  Sam. 
20  :  9— a  custom  which  the  Arabs  still  retain),  the  hand, 
the  knees,  or  even  the  feet  or  ground  occupied  by  the 
feet  of  princes,  as  an  act  of  homage  (Isai.  49  :  23  ;  Micah 
7  :  17;  Ps.  72  :  9;  Luke  7  :  38).  In  accordance  with 
this  oriental  custom  of  indicating  love  or  reverence, 
persons  of  the  same  sex,  among  the  primitive  Christians, 
gave  "  the  holy  kiss  "  to  each  other  (Rom.  16:16;  i  Cor. 
16  :  20;  2  Cor.  13  :  12  ;  i  Thess.  5  :  26 ;  i  Peter  5  :  14). 
Jacob's  kiss  (2  Sam.  20  :  9)  was,  like  that  of  Judas,  the 
"  deceitful  kiss  of  an  enemy  "  (Prov.  27  :  6). 

*9  And  straightway  he  came  to  Jesus,  and  said,  Hail,  Rabbi ;  and  kissed 
him. 

A.  Came  to  Jesus.  It  appears  from  Luke  22  :  47  that 
Judas  "went  before"  the  multitude,  partly  for  the  pur- 
pose of  giving  the  appointed  signal,  and  partly,  no  doubt, 


342  THE  GOSFhL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.        [xxvi.  50,  51. 

with  the  hope  of  conceahng  the  fact  from  his  former 
associates,  that  he  acted  in  concert  with  the  band. — B. 
Hail,  Rabbi.  Judas  employs  the  friendly  term  of  saluta- 
tion (see  28  :  9,  A.),  which  was  usual  both  in  personal 
addresses  and  in  letters ;  it  was  also  in  some  cases  a  rec- 
ognition of  the  high  character  and  the  rank  of  the  person 
saluted  (27  :  29),  and  hence  applied  even  to  emperors. 
The  Greek  word  here  employed  is,  in  its  different  forms, 
translated  greeting,  farewell,  God-speed  (see  Luke  i  :  28 ; 
Acts  15  :  23  ;  23  :  26  ;  2  Cor.  13:11;  James  i  :  i  ;  2  John 
10,  11).  The  English  word  Hail  originated  in  an  old 
Anglo-Saxon  term  equivalent  to  tvholeness,  health,  pros- 
perity. On  this  occasion  Judas  also  applied  the  title  of 
honor:  Rabbi  (for  which  see  23  :  7,  B.,  and  John  i  :  38  ; 
6  :  25). — C.  And  kissed  him  (vcr.  48,  B.).  The  bold 
manner  in  which  Judas  executed  his  plan  is  evidence 
that  "  Satan  had  entered  into  him  "  (Luke  22  :  3).  His 
history  is  completed  below  (27  :  3-5)- 

5°  And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Friend,  do  that  for  which  thou  art  come. 
Then  they  came,  and  laid  hands  on  Jesus,  and  took  him. 

A.  Friend=Thou,  mine  own  familiar  associate  !  (Ps. 
41  :  9;  55  :  13;  see  20  :  13). — B.  Do  that  .  .  .  come. 
["  The  language  is  somewhat  abrupt ;  Friend,  mind  zuhat 
yon  are  Jure  for  !  attend  to  that.  With  these  words  He 
spurns  the  kisses  with  which  the  traitor  was  overwhelm- 
ing Him.  Instead  of  hypocritical  kissing,  Jesus  would 
prefer  that  Judas  should  at  once  proceed  with  his  dark 
deed." — MEYER.] — C.  Then  came  they,  etc.=after  re- 
covering from  the  terror  which  had  suddenly  overpowered 
them  on  first  seeing  the  Lord,  as  described  in  John 
18:4-9. 

"  And,  behold,  one  of  them  that  were  with  Jesus  stretched  out  his  hand, 
and  drew  his  sword,  and  smote  the  servant  of  the  high  priest,  and  struck 
off  his  ear. 


XXVI.  52,  53-]  CHAPTER  XXVI.  343 

A.  One  of  them= Peter  (John  18  :  10).— B.  Stretched 
out,  etc.  (see  John  18:  10).  Peter  ["  to  regain  what  he  had 
lost,  by  neglecting  to  watch  and  pray  " — BessER]  again 
yields  to  the  impulse  of  his  feelings,  without  first  ascer- 
taining his  Lord's  will.  His  Master  at  once  "  healed  " 
the  wounded  man  (Luke  22:  51),  and  then  addressed 
Peter,  The  company  of  the  disciples  had  previously 
furnished  themselves  with  two  swords  (Luke  22  :  38) ; 
when  the  Galileans  travelled  to  Jerusalem,  they  often 
carried  weapons  with  them,  as  at  that  period  the  roads 
were  rendered  insecure  by  robbers. 

^-  Then  saith  Jesus  unto  him,  Put  up  again  thy  sword  into  its  place  :  for 
all  they  that  take  the  sword  shall  perish  with  the  sword. 

A.  Put  up  (=return  .  ,  .)  sword=into  the  sheath, 
scabbard  (John  18  :  11).  The  sense  is:  My  kingdom  is 
not  of  this  world  (John  18  :  36),  and  does  not  need  the 
aid  of  "  carnal  weapons  "  (2  Cor,  10  :  4). — B.  For  all 
they,  etc.  There  is  here  doubtless  an  allusion  to  Gen, 
9  :  6,  where  all  private  revenge,  especially  in  the  form  of 
the  taking  of  another's  life,  is  forbidden  (comp.  Rom.  12  : 
19).  Peter  had  forgotten,  in  his  excitement,  the  obvious 
circumstance  that  the  enemies  in  his  presence  could 
easily  return  the  blow,  or  cause  it  to  be  legally  punished 
by  death  (Rom.  13:4;  see  Matt.  10:  34,  E,),  The  Lord's 
words  are  designed  to  rebuke  Peter's  excessive  self- 
reliance,  in  as  far  as  it  came  in  conflict  with  faith,  or  trust 
in  divine  protection,  and  with  submissiveness  to  the  will 
of  Providence.  ["  He  imagined  if  he  did  not  defend 
his  Master,  He  must  remain  undefended,  that  all  depended 
upon  Jiijn.  But  surely  God  can  have  no  need  of  any 
man's  help." — RiEGER.J 

'^  Thinkest  thou  that  I  cannot  beseech  my  Father,  and  he  shall  even  now 
give  me  more  than  twelve  legions  of  angels  ? 

A.     Thinkest  thou=is  thy  faith  beginning  to  waver? 


344  ^-^^  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxvi.  54 

— B.  That  I  cannot  now=even  in  this  crisis,  when  I 
seem  to  be  unable  to  prevail  over  My  enemies. — C. 
Pray,  etc.=canst  thou  really  believe  that  at  this  moment 
My  enemies  have  greater  power  than  I  ?  (comp.  John  10: 
18;  1 1  :  42  ;  19  :  11).  The  legion  was  a  division  of  the 
Roman  troops  possessing  a  distinctive  character  as  a 
separate  or  independent  army,  and  consisted  of  both 
cavalry  and  infantry.  The  number  of  men  in  a  legion 
varied  at  different  periods,  but  seldom  exceeded  6,000. 
The  term,  in  allusion  to  the  completeness  of  the  organi- 
zation of  this  military  body,  was  sometimes  used  figura- 
tively to  indicate  a  large  number,  as  here  and  in  Mark, 
5  :  9.  The  Lord,  possibly  alluding  also  to  2  Kings  6:16, 
17,  says  twelve,  contrasting  with  the  twelve  feeble  disci- 
ples who  had  hitherto  attended  Him  twelve  vast  divisions 
of  the  innumerable  host  of  the  angels  (Luke  2:13;  Hebr. 
12  :  22;  Rev.  5:11;  Dan.  7  :  10).  Illustrations  of  the 
irresistible  power  with  which  God  can  endow  a  single 
angel  are  found  in  2  Sam.  24  :  16;  2  Kings  19  :  35.  The 
sense  is:  How  canst  thou  think  that  My  safety  depends 
on  thy  feeble  arm  and  sword,  as  if  I  could  not  invoke  and 
freely  exercise  the  almighty  power  of  God,  whose  hosts 
of  "  mighty  angels  "  (2  Thess.  i  :  7)  do  His  pleasure  ?(Ps. 
103  :  21). 

**  How  then  should  the  scriptures  be  fulfilled,  that  thus  it  must  be  ? 

A.  How  then  .  .  .  fulfilled=if  I  should  resort  to 
such  means  of  defence  and  not  voluntarily  lay  down  My 
life  (John  10  :  18),  and  suffer  death  for  sinners  as  their 
ransom  (see  20  :  28,  E.\  how  then,  agreeably  to  the  divine 
plan  of  salvation  (i  Peter  i  :  20  ;  Eph.  1:4;  Rev.  13  :  8), 
is  the  gracious  promise  of  pardon  to  be  fulfilled,  which  is 
founded  cxclusi\'ely  on  My  atoning  death  (Acts  4:12; 
Rom.  3:25;    I  Cor.  3:11;    i  Tim.  2 :  5,  6),  as  the  Scrip- 


XXVI.  55-  56-]  CHAPTEPs  XXVI.  345 

tares  have  already  declared  ?  (ver.  24,  C,  above). — B, 
That  thus,  lit.  for  (because)  tJins,  in  accordance  with  the 
divine  plan  and  promise,  it  must  all  occur=it  is  proper 
and  right  (see  16  :  21,  C;  comp.  Acts  2  :  23). 

5'  In  that  hour  said  Jesus  to  the  multitudes,  Are  ye  come  out  as  against  a 
robber  with  swords  and  staves  to  seize  me  ?  I  sat  daily  in  the  temple  teach- 
ing and  ye  took  me  not. 

A.  To  the  inultitudes-=and  their  leaders  (Luke  22 : 
52). — B.  Are  ye  .  .  .  seize  me?  He  reproaches  them 
for  the  indignity  offered  Him  in  the  mode  of  the  arrest, 
which  implied  that  He  was  capable  of  resorting  to  the 
desperate  acts  of  a  common  highwayman.  When — He 
asks — had  His  conduct  indicated  a  disposition  to  employ 
violence  against  His  enemies?  (comp.  Luke  4:  29,  30; 
John  7  :  30,  44 ;  8  :  20).  So,  too,  Paul  was  unwilling  that 
a  blemish  should  unnecessarily  adhere  to  the  cause  which 
he  advocated,  or  to  his  own  good  name  (Acts  16  :  37). 
— C.  I  sat,  etc.  The  Lord  first  vindicates  His  own 
character  and  conduct  by  referring  to  His  upright,  pacific, 
and  yet  fearless  course  of  action  (sat  daily=when  in 
Jerusalem),  which  evinced  a  good  conscience ;  He, 
secondly,  rebukes  severely  with  these  words  their  unholy 
feelings  of  malice  and  hatred,  which  compelled  them  to 
resort  to  secret  and  cowardly  means  of  arresting  Him, 
The  words  in  Luke  22  :  53,  like  those  addressed  to  Pilate 
(John  19  :  11),  imply  that  His  enemies  could  accomplish 
nothing,  if  divine  wisdom  should  decide  to  check  them. 
— In  the  temple=in  one  of  the  courts,  possibly  in  Solo- 
mon's porch  (John  10  :  23  ;  Acts  3  :  11),  which  was  con- 
nected with  the  court  of  the  Gentiles  (4:5,  E.,  and  see 
21  :  12,  A.). 

^*  But  all  this  is  come  to  pass,  that  the  scriptures  of  the  prophets  might 
be  fulfilled.     Then  all  the  disciples  left  him,  and  fled. 

A.     But  all   .  .  .  fulfilled.     With   these  words,  which 


346  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxvi.  57. 

give  the  substance  of  an  additional  remark  of  the  Lord 
found  in  Mark  14  :  49,  Matthew  resumes  the  narrative, 
and,  as  in  I  :  22  ;  21  :  4,  refers  to  the  fideHty  of  God  in 
keeping  His  ancient  promises  of  accomphshing  a  re- 
deeming work  (comp.  ver.  54). — -B,  Then==at  the  moment 
when  Jesus  expressed  His  willingness  to  yield  without 
resistance  and  was  actually  seized. — Forsook  .  .  .  fled 
(see  ver.  31).  After  the  disciples  had  recovered  from 
their  terror,  which  carried  them  temporarily  away  from 
the  presence  of  the  band,  they,  or  at  least  Peter  and  John, 
returned  (ver.  58  ;  John  18  :  15).  Their  subsequent 
fidelity  and  heroic  faith  demonstrate  that  they  had  in- 
voluntarily yielded  to  a  temporary  alarm.  At  this  point, 
probably,  the  incident  occurred  which  is  related  in  Mark 
14  :  51,  52,  and  which  possibly  refers  to  Mark  himself  ; 
he  may  have  resided  at  that  time  in  the  city  with  his 
mother  Mary  (Acts  12  :  12). 

''  And  they  that  had  taken  Jesus  led  hivi  away  to  the  house  of  Caiaphas 
the  high  priest,  where  the  scribes  and  the  elders  were  gathered  together. 

A.  The  events  that  followed  the  seizure  of  the  Lord 
are  not  all  related  by  each  of  the  four  evangelists  ;  the 
one  supplies  incidents  which  another  omits.  A  com- 
parison of  their  respective  accounts  furnishes  the  follow- 
ing results: — The  Lord  was  subjected  first  of  all  to  an 
examination  before  Annas,  who  then  sent  Him  to 
Caiaphas  (John  18  :  13,  24)  ;  after  the  latter  had  also 
examined  Him,  and  the  Sanhedrim  had  in  the  mean  time 
held  a  secret  meeting,  very  early  on  Friday  morning,  He 
was  placed  before  their  tribunal.  After  these  persons 
had  professedly  investigated  the  case.  He  was  conducted 
to  the  Roman  governor,  Pilate  ;  the  latter  sent  Him  to 
Herod,  and  subsequently  examined  Him  a  second  time 
(Luke  23  :6-i5).  It  was  during  these  repeated  public 
examinations,   which  consumed   the   whole   night  (Luke 


xxvr.  58,  59]  CHAPTER  XXVI.  347 

22  :  59,  ()G),  that  the  various  indignities   described   in   the 

four  Gospels   were  offered  Him. — B.     The  high   priest's 

palace,  like  all  large  oriental  houses,  had  a  quadrangular 

interior  court,    which    was   paved ;    the    arched    passage 

which  conducted  to  it  from    the    street    was   protectcti 

by  a  heavy  folding  gate,  in  which  a  wicket  was  inserted. 

In  this  court  (translated  "  hall"  in  Luke   22  :  55),    which 

was  open  to  the  sky,  the  "fire  of  coals"  mentioned  in 

John    18  :    18  was  made  by   the  guards— C.     Caiaphas 

(see  ver.    3,    B.),     The  members   of  the  Sanhedrim  were 

already  coming  together  for  consultation  ;  they  doubtless 

considered  the  question  whether  they  should  adhere  to 

their  original  plan  (ver.  5),  or  at   once  proceed   to  inflict 

death  on  Christ. 

^*  But  Peter  followed  him  afar  off  unto  the  court  of  the  high  priest,  and 
entered  in,  and  sat  with  the  officers,  to  see  the  end. 

A.  Peter  .  .  .  off=not  yet  fully  recovered  from  his 
alarm  (ver.  56). — B.  Went  in=from  the  street  into  the 
interior  court  of  the  palace  (ver.  57,  B.,  and  ver.  69). — C. 
To  see  the  end=still  hoping  for  his  beloved  Master's 
escape  from  danger. 

^9  Now  the  chief  priests,  and  the  whole  council,  sought  false  witness 
against  Jesus,  that  they  might  put  him  to  death  ; 

A.  The  time  here  indicated  in  Luke  22  :  66  is  the 
early  dawn  :  the  consultations  mentioned  (ver.  57)  had 
terminated. — B.  The  whole  council,  in  formal  session. 
Annas,  the  former  high  priest,  a  man  possessed  of  great 
weight  of  character,  was  probably  the  president  (Acts  4  : 
6),  and  Caiaphas,  although  the  high  priest  at  the  time, 
only  one  of  the  members  (John  1 1  :  49,  "  one  of  them  "). 
The  Herodian  family  and  the  Romans  had  already  intro- 
duced the  policy  of  diminishing  the  power  of  the  high 
priests,  in  consequence  of  which  that  office  no  longer 
entitled  the  incumbent  to  act  as  the  presiding  officer  of 


348  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.        [xxvi.  60,  6i. 

the  council. — C.  Sought  false  witness=inasmuch  as 
they  well  knew  that  no  witness  that  was  true  could  be 
unfavorable  to  Christ  (John  8  :  46).  Although  the  sen- 
tence "  to  put  him  to  death  "  had  already  been  framed, 
their  own  reputation  demanded  that  at  least  the  forms  of 
a  trial  should  be  granted  to  the  accused  ;  the  circum- 
stance that  they  were  guilty  of  a  direct  violation  of  the 
letter  and  spirit  of  the  divine  law  in  Exod.  26  :  16  was  of 
no  consequence  in  their  eyes  (see  23  :  23,  C). 

*'°  And  they  found  it  not,  though  many  false  witnesses  came.  But 
afterward  came  two, 

A.  Found  it  not==not  even  the  many  false  witnesses 
could  invent  slander  in  such  a  form  that  their  "  witness 
agreed  together "  (Mark  14  :  56).  The  sense  is  :  Even 
these  bitter  foes  were  ashamed  to  proceed  on  such  contra- 
dictory charges,  none  of  which  could  be  substantiated. 
As  the  enemies  of  the  Lord  had  seized  Him  before  their 
plans  were  fully  matured  (ver.  4,  C),  the  subornation  of 
witnesses  had  not  yet  been  effected. — B.  Afterward,  etc. 
The  letter  of  the  law,  and  its  repeated  declarations  (Numb. 
35  :  30;  Deut.  17  :  6;  19  :  15),  which  the  Sanhedrim  pre- 
tended to  reserve,  compelled  them  to  furnish  at  least 
two  witnesses. 

^'  And  said.  This  man  said,  I  am  able  to  destroy  the  temple  of  God,  and 
to  build  it  in  three  days. 

A.  5aid.  These  two  false  witnesses  (Ps.  27  :  12)  refer 
to  certain  words  once  employed  by  the  Saviour,  and  re- 
corded in  John  2  :  19-21  ;  He  had  applied  the  term 
temple  to  His  own  body  (comp.  Col.  2  :  9),  and  alluded 
to  His  death  and  resurrection.  He  had  said  :  Destroy 
ye=if  ye  should  destroy,  etc.  Here,  by  a  malicious 
perversion,  one  of  these  witnesses  (Mark  14  :  58)  declared 
that  the  Lord  had  expressed  His  intention  to  destroy 
the  sanctuary  (the  naos,  4:5,    E.  ;  21  :  12,  A.,  and   not 


XXVI.  62.]  CHAPTER  XXVI.  349 

the  whole  area,  often  called  collectively  the  temple). 
Now,  such  language,  as  the  words  in  Acts  6  :  13  show, 
were  understood  to  be  an  impious  declaration  of  hostility 
to  Him  who  dwelt  in  the  sanctuary,  and  the  charge  here 
made,  after  the  words  of  Christ  had  been  distorted  by 
His  enemies,  was,  consequently,  one  of  a  very  serious 
nature.  It  was,  however,  also  obvious,  that  even  if  these 
witnesses  spoke  the  truth,  the  offender  could  not  have 
been  an  enemy  of  God,  for  He  proposed  to  rebuild  the 
temple ;  the  accusation  refuted  itself.  "  But  neither  so 
did  their  witness  agree  together"  (Mark  14  :  58,  59), 
since  one  of  them,  in  his  eagerness  to  secure  the  bribe, 
added  words  of  his  own  invention  :  "  I  will  destroy,  etc.," 
which  seemed  to  contradict  the  statement  of  the  other, 
whose  words  Matthew  here  reports. 

*^  And   the  high   priest  stood  up,   and   said   unto   him,  Answerest  thou 
nothing  .''  what  is  it  whicli  these  witness  against  thee  ? 

A.  The  high  priest  arose=either  through  great  excite- 
ment, or,  possibly,  in  order  to  intimidate  the  Lord. — 
B.  Answerest  thou,  etc.^hast  thou  no  reply  to  make  to 
such  grave  charges  ?  The  Lord  had  not  attempted  to 
refute  the  testimony  of  the  false  witnesses  :  first,  because 
its  falsity  was  known  to  all  (John  18  :  19-21),  and, 
secondly,  because  no  reply  would  have  altered  the  de- 
cision already  made  in  private  against  Him  (Luke  22 :  (ij^ 
68).  "  He  opened  not  his  mouth"  (Isai.  53  :  7).  It  is 
also  apparent  that  a  full  reply,  including  a  reference  to 
the  Lord's  resurrection  on  the  third  day,  would  have  been 
inappropriate  at  that  moment  and  before  that  audience. 
His  expressive  silence  seems  to  imply:  Why  should  I 
speak?  Your  fierce  passions  will  allow  you  to  hear 
neither  "  the  voice  of  the  prophets"  (Acts  13  :  27)  nor 
My  own. 


350  THE  GOSPEL  OE  ST.  MATTHEW.       [xxvi.  63,  64. 

*3  But  Jesus  held  his  peace.  And  the  high  priest  said  unto  him,  I  adjure 
thee  by  the  Uving  God,  that  thou  tell  us  whether  thou  be  the  Christ,  the 
Son  of  God. 

A.     Held  his  peace  (see  20  :  31,  A.). — B.     Answered= 

resumed,  in  answer  to  the  significant  silence  of  the  Lord 
(see  II  :  25,  C). — C.  I  adjure  thee.  This  language  of  a 
judge  was  equivalent  to  the  modern  legal  act  of  "  admin- 
istering an  oath  "='*  to  make  any  one  swear,"  as  the  cor- 
responding Hebrew  term  is  translated  in  Gen.  2  ;.  :  3  ;  2 
Chron.  36  :  13.  The  person  so  addressed,  after  "hearing 
the  voice  of  swearing  "  (Luke  5  :  i)^listening  to  the  form 
of  the  oath  (comp.  i  Sam.  14:28),  and  assenting  to  it,  was 
assumed  to  be  bound  by  the  oath.  As  our  Lord  replied,  not 
to  the  slanderous  charges,  but  to  the  oath  which  was  here 
administered.  He  sanctioned  this  mode  of  eliciting  the 
truth,  when  properly  observed  (see  above,  5  :  33,  A.  ; 
34,  B.). — D.  By  the  living  God  (see  16  :  16,  D.).  In 
adjurations  the  term  living  refers  to  God  both  as  a  wit- 
ness who  knows  the  truth,  and  as  an  avenger  who  pun- 
ishes perjury  (comp.  Hebr.  10:31). — E.  The  Christ= 
the  promised  Messiah,  as  in  16  :  16  (see  I  :  i,  B.). — F. 
The  Son  of  God.  That  the  Jews  understood  this  name  to 
imply  that  Christ  was  divine=God  (8  :  29,  C.),  appears 
from  John  10  :  32,  33  ;  19:7;  and  comp.  16  :  16.  The 
chief  priest,  who  had  hitherto  failed  to  prove  any  of  his 
charges,  and  was  well  aware  of  the  earlier  declarations  of 
Christ  that  He  was  the  Son  of  God,  was  satisfied  that  the 
accused  would  not  hesitate  to  reassert  His  claims.  He 
therefore  reverts  to  the  present  method  in  order  to  justify 
the  execution  of  Christ  on  the  ground  that  He  had 
"  blasphemed  "=ascribed  to  Himself  a  divine  nature 
(see  ver.  65). 

**  Jesus  saith  unto  him.  Thou  hast  said :  nevertheless  I  say  unto  you, 
Henceforth  ye  shall  see  the  Son  of  man  sitting  on  the  right  hand  of 
power,  and  coming  on  the  clouds  of  heaven. 


xxvr.  64]  CHAPTER  XXVI.  351 

A.  Thou  hast  said=  Fr^  (see  ver.  25,  C).  The  same 
sense  attaches  to  "  I  am  "  (=that  which  thou  hast  said) 
in  Mark  14  :  62.  We  have  here  an  unequivocal  recog- 
nition by  the  Lord  of  the  established  Church  doctrine 
respecting  His  Deity. — B.  NevertheIess=/5'///  further. 
The  original  word  is  sometimes  used  in  such  a  sense,  as 
here  and  in  1 1  :  22  ;  "but"  in  Luke  19:27,  when  the 
speaker  indicates  that  he  now  proceeds  to  a  new  subject. 
— C.  Henceforth  .  ,  ,  power=ye  who  now  hear  Me 
shall  personally  witness  My  divine  glory,  as  foretold  by 
Daniel  (ch.  7  :  13),  and  then  be  convinced  of  My  truth. — 
The  right  hand  of  power^of  the  power  of  God  (Luke  22  : 
69).  The  divine  attribute  of  power  or  omnipotence  here 
represents  the  nature  and  being  of  God  generally  (comp. 
Hebr.  1:3;  8:1).  For  the  right  hand  (=place  of 
honor),  see  25  :  33,  and  comp.  i  Kings  2  :  19.  The  Lord 
alludes  to  Ps.  1 10  :  i  (see  above,  ann.  to  22  :  43  and  44), 
where  a  prediction  of  Christ's  exaltation  and  of  His  king- 
dom and  glory  occurs.  The  language  indicates  Christ's 
equality  in  honor  and  power  with  the  Father,  according 
to  Acts  2  :  33  ;  5:31;  7:55,  5^  ;  Rom.  8  :  34;  Hebr. 
1:3;  I  Peter  3  :  22.  This  language,  which  in  the 
Scriptures  invariably  refers  to  the  Lord  after  His  ascen- 
sion, indicates  the  exaltation  of  His  Jmman  nature  (Phil. 
2  :  9,  ff.),  which  is  now  inseparably  or  forever  connected 
with  His  divine  nature  ;  that  divine  nature  always  had 
been  invested  with  the  Father's  glory  (John  17:5;  see 
28  :  18,  B.). — D.  Coming.  Different  events  connected 
with  the  Lord's  deeds  of  power  are  described  by  terms 
analogous  to  this  word  "  coming  "  (see  the  ann.  to  10  : 
23,  B.).  The  present  prediction  appears  to  refer  to 
future  revelations  of  the  Lord's  glory  which  all  His 
friends  and  enemies  will  witness,  and  to  designate,  as  the 
similar    expressions  imply,  the  same  events    which  are 


352  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW.        [xxvi.  65,  66. 

mentioned  in  24  :  30,  D.  The  sense  of  the  whole  verse 
is  :  Of  My  right  to  such  a  title  ye  shall  receive  ocular 
demonstration  not  only  when  I  shall  be  revealed  and  ac- 
knowledged in  eternity  as  the  possessor  of  all  power  in 
heaven  and  in  earth  (28  :  18),  but  also  previously,  or,  at  a 
preceding  period  when  I  shall  come  to  judge  the  living 
and  the  dead. 

*'  Then  the  high  priest  rent  his  garnuents,  saying,  He  hath  spoken  blas- 
phemy ;  what  furtlier  need  have  we  of  witnesses  ?  behold,  now  ye  have 
heard  his  blasphemy. 

A.  Rent  his  garments.  A  single  article  of  clothing 
is  occasionally,  as  in  this  instance,  designated  by  the 
general  term  garments.  The  garment  torn  was  the  cloak 
or  mantle  (see  5  :  40,  B.),  or,  when  several  articles  of 
clothing  were  worn,  one  of  the  intermediate  garments, 
usually  where  it  extended  over  the  breast.  The  act  here 
described,  which  was  common  in  the  East,  indicated  some 
powerful  emotion,  usually  grief  (Josh.  7  :  6;  2  Sam.  3  : 
31),  or  holy  indignation  and  horror  (Acts  14  :  14).  By 
such  emotions  the  hypocritical  high  priest,  in  imitation 
of  the  men  mentioned  in  2  Kings  18  :  37  ;  19:1,  pre- 
tends to  be  governed.  In  common  cases,  such  as  the 
loss  of  relatives  by  death,  the  high  priest  was  not  per- 
mitted to  perform  the  act  (Lev.  10:6;  21  :  10). — B. 
Spoken  blasphemy=irreverently  claimed  to  be  divine, 
that  is,  the  Son  of  God  (see  vcr.  6-i^,  F.,  and  for  blas= 
phemy,  9  :  3,  C.). — C.  What  further,  etc.  Caiaphas 
betrays  in  these  words  his  embarrassment  occasioned  by 
the  absolute  impossibility  to  substantiate  a  single  charge 
against  the  holy  doctrine,  conduct  and  character  of 
Christ ;  he  eagerly  catches  the  words  of  the  Lord  as  a 
pretext  for  condemning  Him,  and  imperiously  assumes 
that  none  can  contradict  him. 

**  What  think  ye  ?     They  answered  and  said,  He  is  worthy  of  death. 


XXVI.  67-]  CHAPTER  XXVI.  353 

A.  What  think  ye  ?--- pronounce  your  judgment  in 
the  case.  The  present  investigation  is  preHminary  in  its 
character.  According  to  Jewish  usages  (Jerem.  21  :  12), 
and  also  the  Roman  law,  no  sentence  of  death  pronounced 
by  a  tribunal  at  night  was  legal  and  valid,  neither  was 
such  a  sentence  usually  pronounced  by  the  Jewish  au- 
thorities on  the  same  day  on  which  the  accused  person  had 
received  his  trial.  The  former  right,  to  which  every  one 
that  was  accused  was  entitled,  was  evaded  by  holding  a 
formal  session  of  the  Sanhedrim  very  soon  afterwards, 
according  to  27  :  i,  at  which  the  sentence  of  death  was 
pronounced  anew  ("  when  the  morning  was  come  "). 
The  latter  was  evaded  by  the  shallow  pr-etext  that  the 
trial  had  been  held  before  daylight  in  the  presence  of 
Caiaphas  and  individual  members  of  the  council,  and  con- 
sequently before  the  natural  day  on  which  the  sentence 
mentioned  in  27  :  i  was  pronounced  (Luke  22  :  ^6). 
These  gross  violations  of  law  and  justice,  and  the  contra- 
dictions in  which  the  Lord's  enemies  involved  themselves, 
could  not  escape  the  notice  of  the  spectators.  But  pas- 
sion and  might  were  permitted  to  prevail. — B.  They 
answered,  etc.=they  voted  apparently  with  entire  una- 
nimity, and  doubtless  in  the  absence  of  Nicodemus 
(John  7  :  50)  and  Joseph  of  Arimathea  (Luke  23  •  50,  51  ; 
John  19  :  38),  that  Jesus  should  be  sentenced  to  death. 
Blasphemy  and  similar  offences  were  unquestionably 
punished  with  death  according  to  the  law  (Lev.  24  :  16; 
Deut.  13  :  1-5  ;  r8  :  20),  but  in  this  case  the  crime  was 
not  explained  and  proved. 

,  '^  Then  did  they  spit  in  his  face,  and  buffeted  him ;  and  some  smote  him 
with  the  palms  of  their  hands. 

A.     They="  some  "  (Mark  14  :65),  possibly  both  mem- 
bers   of    the  council    (Matt.  27:41)    and  the  attendants 
(Luke    22  :  63). — B,    Buffeted,  lit.    inflicted    blows    with 
23 


354  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxvi.  68. 

the  fist  on  Him ;  similar  outrages  occur  again  (27  :  30). 
The  indignities  heaped  on  the  holy  person  of  the  Saviour, 
and  of  which  numerous  instances  are  recorded  hy  the 
several  evangelists,  could  not  be  exceeded  in  atrocity ; 
all  that  barbarity  and  malice  could  suggest,  hypocrisy 
sanction,  and  cowardice  perform,  is  combined  in  the 
blasphemous  language  (Luke  22  :  65)  and  personal 
violence  to  which  the  Lord  was  subjected. — Spit — face^ 
the  highest  insult  which  could  be  offered  among  oriental 
nations  (Numb.  12  :  14;  Isai.  50  :  6).  The  Saviour's  deep 
humiliation  had  already  been  predicted  (see  Isai.  50  :  6  ; 
53  :  3-7  ;  Micah  5  :  i),  and  was  previously  known  to  Him 
(John  18:4);  but  such  was  His  love  to  man  that  He 
whom  all  the  angels  of  God  worshipped  (Hebr.  i  :6) 
"  despised  (here=disregarded,  6 :  24,  C.)  the  shame  "  even 
of  the  cross  (Hebr.  12:2  ;  Phil.  2  : 7,  8),  in  view  of  the 
glory  and  joy  which  awaited  Him  after  giving  Himself 
for  the  redemption  of  a  lost  world. — C.  Smote,  etc.= 
*'  struck  him  on  the  face  "  (Luke  22  :  64).  That  such  is 
the  sense  here  appears  from  Matt.  5  :  39,  where  the  same 
word  is  rendered  simply  "  smite." 

*°  Saying,  Prophesy  unto  us,  thou  Christ,  who  is  he  that  struck  thee  .'* 

Prophesy.  This  word,  which  conveys  the  general 
sense  of  uttering  truths  unknown  to  man,  by  means  of  a 
divine  communication  (see  7  :  22,  D.),  is  here  intended  to 
deride  the  Lord's  claim  to  knowledge  which  mortals  can- 
not acquire  by  their  own  efforts ;  the  men  had,  namely, 
first  covered  the  Lord's  face  or  blindfolded  Him  (Mark 
14  :  65  ;  Luke  22  :  64),  The  sense  then  is :  Thou  who 
claimest  to  be  Christ  (=the  Messiah),  and  to  be  endowed 
with  divine  knowledge  and  power,  prove  now  Thy  truth 
by  naming  the  man  who  smote  Thee,  without  having 
seen  him.  The  vile  character  of  persons  who  could  be 
capable  of  such  conduct  is  obvious. 


XXVI.  69,  7o]  CHAPTER  XXVT.  355 

**  Now  Peter  was  sitting  without  in  the  court :  and  a  maid  came  unto 
him,  saying,  Thou  also  wast  with  Jesus  the  Galilean. 

A.  Was  Sitting  without=on  the  outside  of  the 
chamber  in  which  the  Lord  stood  (without,  as  in  12  :  46), 
but  in  the  interior  court  in  which  the  fire  had  been 
kindled  (Mark  14  :  67),  and  in  this  sense  he  .sat  in  the 
palace=within  its  enclosure  (see  above,  ver.  57,  B.,  and 
58).  The  spot  which  the  Lord  occupied  in  the  interior 
of  the  building,  where,  however,  all  that  took  place  in 
the  court  could  be  observed,  was  reached  by  steps  (Mark 
14  :  66)  "  beneath."  The  three  denials  are  here  grouped 
together  (ver.  72,  A.).— B.  A  maid,  lit.  one  maid,  that  is, 
the  first  one  as  distinct  from  the  second  mentioned  in 
ver.  71  ;  the  first  one  was  the  appointed  door-keeper, 
according  to  John  18  :  17.  The  word  translated  maid 
sometimes  designates  in  the  N.  T.  a  female  servant 
(Luke  12  :  45)  or  bond-woman,  bond-maid,  as  in  Acts 
16  :  16,  19,  and  is  so  translated  in  Gal.  4  :  22,  23,  30,  31. 
Among  the  Jews  such  persons  frequently  had  charge  of 
the  door  (comp.  Acts  12  :  13). — C.  Came  unto  him,  etc, 
=immediately  after  his  entrance  (John  18:  16,  17). — Thou 
also=as  well  as  John.  This  female  either  asked  in  a 
spirit  of  levity,  or,  possibly,  in  a  servile  manner  desired 
to  show  her  zeal  by  assailing  all  to  whom  her  master, 
the  high  priest,  was  known  to  be  unfriendly. — Jesus  of 
Galilee,  lit.  Jesus  the  Galilean.  The  Lord's  protracted 
abode  in  Galilee  led  many  to  regard  Him  as  a  native  of 
that  region,  and  the  term  Galileaii  was  subsequently 
applied  to  Him  by  way  of  contempt  (21  :  11  ;  John 
7  :  52). — Thou  wast  with=thou  belongest  to  His  party 
(see  12  :  30,  A.). 

'°  But  he  denied  before  them  all,  saying,  I  know  not  what  thou  sayest. 
A,     Denied=disowned  Christ  (ver.  34,  C),   refused   to 
acknowledge  that  he  had  any  connection  with  Him. — 


356  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxvi.  71. 

Before  them  all^the  high  priest's  servants,  the  officers, 
etc. — B.  1  know  not,  etc.  Peter  assumes  to  be  so  en- 
tirely a  stranger  to  the  accused  Jesus,  as  not  even  to 
"  understand  "  (Mark  14  :  68)  the  meaning  of  the  maid's 
words.  "  How  grievous  a  sin  may  be  committed  in 
uttering  only  a  few  words  !  (comp.  ch.  12  :  24  ;  Acts 
5  :  8)." — Bengel.^C.  The  sudden  terror  which  had 
seized  Peter  and  the  other  disciples  (ver.  56),  and  which 
had  subsided,  now  takes  possession  of  him  again.  It  was 
the  "  hour"  of  Christ's  enemies  and  "  the  power  of  dark- 
ness" (Luke  22  :  53)=the  time  in  which  iniquity  was 
allowed  to  prevail.  According  to  the  Lord's  words  (Luke 
22  :  31),  Satan,  who  had  once  exercised  all  his  power  to 
conduct  Job  to  a  fall  (Job,  ch.  i  and  2),  now  "  desired  to 
have  Simon  Peter  that  he  might  sift  him  as  wheat  "  (= 
agitate,  prove  in  the  most  severe  manner).  Hence  the 
temptation  was  in  this  case  unusually  powerful.  As  he 
had  in  his  language  in  ver.  33,  35,  forgotten  that  he  could 
do  nothing  without  his  Master's  divine  grace  (John  15:5), 
he  is  here  taught  by  bitter  experience  to  see  himself  as 
he  really  is,  and,  like  Job,  to  "  abhor  himself  and  repent 
in  dust  and  ashes  "  (Job  42  :  6). 

^'  And  when  he  was  gone  out  into  the  porch,  another  maid  saw  him,  and 
said  unto  them  that  were  there,  This  man  was  also  with  Jesus  the  Nazarene. 

A.  The  porch=the  gateway,  portal  or  arched  passage 
(see  above,  ver.  57,  B.)  to  which  Peter  retreated.  Mark 
(ch.  14  :  68)  gives  it  another  but  equivalent  name,  also 
translated  "  porch,"  and  more  precisely  designating  the 
spot  before  the  interior  conrX.^ entrance. — B.  Another 
maid==together  with  a  man  (Luke  22  :  58),  and  indeed 
various  persons  ("  them  that  were  there  ")  of  the  group 
(John  18  :  25). — C.  Said  to  them.  The  man  who  spoke 
directly  addressed  Peter  (Luke  22  :  58). — D.  This  fellow 
(see  12  :  24,  B.). — E.     Was  also,  etc.=is  an  adherent  of 


XXVI.  72,  73-]  CHAPTER  XXVT.  357 

Him  who  is  now  on  trial  (ver.  69,  C). — Jesus  the  Nazarene. 
This  appellation  was  not  necessarily  contemptuous  (see 
John  I  :  45  ;  Acts  10  :  38) ;  the  Lord  was  supposed  by 
many  to  be  a  native  of  Nazareth,  as  "  he  had  been 
brought  up  "  there  (Luke  4:16;    see  Matt.   2  :  23,  A.  ; 

21  :  11). 

'^  And  again  he  denied  with  an  oath,  I  know  not  the  man. 
A.     Again=^the  second  denial.     The  three  denials  did 
not   occur  in  very  rapid   succession  (ver.   73,  and  Luke 

22  :  59),  but  rather  during  the  whole  period  of  the  pro- 
tracted examination  of  the  Lord  ;  they  are  simply  placed 
together  by  Matthew  for  the  sake  of  exhibiting  Peter's 
case  as  an  independent  part  of  the  general  narrative,  as 
well  as  of  avoiding  any  interruption  of  the  preceding 
narrative. — B.  With  an  oath^one  of  the  usual  oaths  of 
the  Jews  mentioned  in  5  :  34,  ff. ;  23  :  16,  ff. — C.  I  know 
not,  etc.=I  have  not  the  most  remote  connection  with 
Him. 

'^  And  after  a  little  while  they  that  stood  by  came  and  said  to  Peter,  Of 
a  truth,  thou  also  art  one  of  them  ;  for  thy  speech  bewrayeth  thee. 

A.  Came  .  .  .  stood  by^including  a  relative  of  Mal- 
chus  whom  Peter  had  wounded,  and  who  now  refers  to 
that  act  (John  18  :  10,  26);  the  terror  which  this  new  cir- 
cumstance produced  now  completely  paralyzes  Peter. — 
B.  Surely==undeniably.  The  term  refers  to  the  previous 
oath  of  Peter,  the  reliability  of  which  this  word  positively 
denies. — C.  For=in  addition  to  other  circumstances. — 
D.  Thy  speech  bewrayeth  (betrayeth)  thee=exposes 
thee,  makes  thee  known  as  a  Galilean  (Mark  14  :  70). 
— Speech^dialect.  The  inhabitants  of  Galilee  did  not 
distinguish  accurately  between  certain  letters  of  the 
alphabet  termed  gutturals,  for  which  we  have  no  precise 
equivalents  in  the  English  alphabet,  and  which,  as  in  a 
somewhat  analogous  case  in  Judg.  12:6,  they  could  not 


358  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.        [xxvi.  74,  75. 

"  frame  to  pronounce  right ;  "  their  dialect  generally  was 
harsher  than  that  of  the  inhabitants  of  Judfea. 

'^  Then  began  he  to  curse  and  to  swear,  I  know  not  the  man.  And 
straightway  the  cock  crew. 

A.  To  curse  and  to  swear.  The  increased  violence 
of  Peter  arose  from  the  circumstance  just  mentioned  in 
ver.  73,  A. ;  in  his  excitement,  after  losing  all  self-control, 
he  uttered  imprecations  in  addition  to  his  oath  (possibly 
using  the  form  occurring  in  i  Sam.  3  :  17;  14  :  44;  20  :  13) 
in  order  to  substantiate  the  truth  of  his  declaration  that 
no  connection  existed  between  him  and  Jesus. — B.  And 
.  .  .  crew=the  second  time  (Mark  14  :  68,  72),  according 
to  the  Lord's  words  (Mark  14 :  30).  At  this  moment  the 
Lord,  who  stood  in  full  view,  "  turned  and  looked  upon  " 
him  (Luke  22  :  61).  That  glance  of  the  Saviour,  so  ex- 
pressive in  its  silence,  so  mournful,  and  yet  so  full  of 
divine  pity,  arrests  and  saves  Peter  in  the  extremity  of 
his  danger,  when,  as  once  before,  "  he  was  beginning  to 
sink"  (14  :  30),  and  was  nigh  unto  destruction. 

''  And  Peter  remembered  the  word  which  Jesus  had  said,  Before  the 
cock  crow,  thou  shalt  deny  me  thrice.     And  he  went  out,  and  wept  bitterly. 

A.     Peter  remembered=see  ver.  34. — B.     He  went  out 

=by  the  outer  gate  into  the  street  (see  ver,  57,  B.). — 
C.  And  wept  bitterly  (comp.  Isai.  22  :  4  ;  33  :  7).  The 
crisis  has  passed,  the  unnatural  excitement  of  Peter  is 
suddenly  arrested,  and,  by  the  infinite  grace  of  his  Lord, 
"he  comes  to  himself"  (Luke  15  :  17).  Compare  the 
case  of  Paul  (Acts  9  :  9,  1 1)-  Both  experienced  anguish 
of  soul,  but  ho\.\\  prayed  in  humble  trust  and  faith. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

'  Now  when  morning  was  come,  all  the  chief  priests  and  the  elders  of  the 
people  took  counsel  against  Jesus  to  put  him  to  death. 

A.  Morning=of  Friday,  the  eventful  day  of  the  Lord's 
crucifixion. — B.  Took  counsel,  etc.=deHberated  on  the 
best  plan  for  securing  the  immediate  execution  of  the 
sentence  of  death  (already  pronounced  in  26  :  66,  and  now 
formally  repeated),  before  a  rescue  should  be  attempted 
by  His  friends.  As  they  could  not  proceed  without  the 
official  consent  of  Pilate  (ver.  2),  it  was  important  to  ex- 
hibit the  Lord  to  him  in  the  character  of  a  political  of- 
fender. Hence  they  adopted  the  expedient  which  appears 
in  ver.  11,  below,  namely,  they  determined  to  represent 
Him  as  a  seditious  person  and  a  pretender  to  the  throne 
(see  also  John  18  :  29  and  19  :  12). 

^  And  they  had  bound  him,  and  led  him  away,  and  delivered  him  up  to 
Pontius  Pilate  the  governor. 

A.  Bound  him=again,  after  having  loosened  his 
bonds  (John  18  :  12,  24)  during  his  examination  before 
Caiaphas. — Delivered  (see  17  :  22). — B.     To  Pontius,  etc. 

="  to  the  Gentiles"  (Luke  18:32).  After  the  deposi- 
tion of  Archelaus  (2  :  22,  A.),  which  occurred  a  few  years 
subsequently  to  the  birth  of  Christ,  Judaea  and  Samaria 
were  attached  by  the  Roman  government  to  the  province 
of  Syria,  and  the  whole  territory  was  governed  by  a 
Roman  officer  who  was  styled  a  proconsul.  From  this 
time  also  the  Jewish  authorities  no  longer  possessed  the 
right  to  inflict   capital  punishments  without  the   official 

359 


360  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxvii.  3. 

consent  of  the  Roman  governor.  This  circumstance  ex- 
plains the  present  appeal  to  Pilate  (see  John  18:31). 
An  officer  of  inferior  rank,  styled  a  procurator,  was  en- 
trusted at  times  specially  with  the  government  of  Judaea  ; 
the  powers  granted  to  these  rulers  frequently  varied  in 
extent.  The  governor  of  Judaea  appears  to  have  usually 
resided  in  Caesarea,  on  the  Mediterranean  Sea  (16:  13,  B.). 
Pilate,  who  was  at  this  time  the  procurator  of  Judaea,  oc- 
cupied Jerusalem  with  a  large  military  force,  since  at  the 
celebration  of  the  great  festivals  serious  disturbances  fre- 
quently arose  (see  ann.  to  26  :  4,  D.).  His  administration 
was  harsh  and  oppressive,  and  his  conduct  was  so  empha- 
tically resented  by  the  Jews  and  the  Samaritans,  whose 
accusations  were  very  serious,  that  he  was  ultimately  re- 
moved from  office  and  sent  to  Rome,  in  order  to  sustain 
a  trial.  The  Emperor  Tiberius  died  before  Pilate  reached 
the  city.  Eusebius  (Eccl.  Hist.  H.  7)  relates  that  the 
calamities  which  overwhelmed  him  drove  him  to  the 
commission  of  suicide.  He  was  fully  aware  of  the 
Saviour's  innocence  (ver.  18,  23,  24,  below),  and  he  long 
hesitated  to  issue  the  order  for  the  execution,  not  being 
able  to  resist  entirely,  with  all  his  heathenish  contempt 
of  revealed  religion,  the  force  of  the  Saviour's  words  ;  but 
the  threat  of  the  Jews,  who  implied  that  they  would  ac- 
cuse Him  before  the  jealous  Emperor  Tiberius  of  favoring 
a  rebel  (Luke  23  :  2),  and  even  a  competitor  for  the 
throne  (John  19:  12,  15),  alarmed  his  selfish  fears,  and 
extorted  the  order  for  the  Lord's  crucifixion.  His  char- 
acter appears  in  the  whole  transaction  in  a  most  unfavor- 
able light,  and  no  redeeming  trait  distinguishes  him  from 
the  multitude  of  corrupt  pagan  rulers  of  his  age. 

^  Then  Judas,  which  betrayed  him,  when  he  saw  that  he  was  condemned, 
repented  himself,  and  brought  back  the  thirty  pieces  of  silver  to  the  chief 
priests  and  elders, 


xxvii.  4.]  CHAPTER  XXVII.  361 

A.  Then  Judas  .  .  .  condemned.  This  language  may 
possibly  imply  that  Judas  had  not  expected  that  the  Lord, 
whose  vast  power  over  the  elements  and  unclean  spirits 
as  well  as  over  men  He  had  often  observed,  would  be  act- 
ually placed  under  constraint  and  slain  by  His  enemies 
(26  :  14).  But  it,  more  probably,  indicates  that  this  man's 
eagerness  to  gain  money  had  prevented  him  from  consid- 
ering the  whole  enormity  of  his  crime,  until  it  had  been 
committed,  and  its  consequences  had  become  visible. — B. 
Repented  himself.  The  original  word,  sometimes  de- 
scriptive of  a  change  of  views  and  feelings  that  is  equiv- 
alent to  genuine  repentance  (see  21  :  29),  here  indicates 
rcinorse=\.\\Q  pain  of  guilt,  the  reproaches  of  conscience 
occasioned  by  a  view  of  the  criminality  and  danger  which 
he  had  incurred,  but  not  accompanied  by  faith  in  divine 
grace  and  by  hope  ;  in  the  language  of  Paul  he  was  not 
"made  sorry  after  a  godly  manner"  (2  Cor.  7  :  9,  10), 
That  repentance  which  the  Word  of  God  demands  is 
always  connected  with  a  humble  hope  of  finding  pardon 
through  Jesus  Christ.  The  original  Greek  word  occurs 
only  in  four  other  places  (Matt.  21  :  29  and  32;  2  Cor. 
7:8;  Hebr.  7  :  21)  ;  wherever  the  words  repent,  repent- 
ance, occur  elsewhere,  a  different  Greek  word  is  used  (sec 
above,  3  :  2,  A.). — C  Brought  again,  etc.  But  could 
that  act  undo  the  crime  which  he  had  perpetrated  ? 
Could  it  rescue  his  Master? 

*  Saying,  I  have  sinned  in  that  I  betrayed  innocent  blood.  But  they  said, 
What  is  that  to  us  ?     See  thou  to  it. 

A.  Saying  .  .  .  blood.  Judas  had  already  been  taught 
by  his  Master's  words  (for  example,  Luke  15  :  21)  to  un- 
derstand the  awful  nature  of  sin  ;  he  is  now  fully  aware 
of  the  extent  of  his  guilt. — Betrayed  .  .  .  blood=ex- 
posed  Him  to  death  who  is  free  from  all  guilt  (comp.  23  : 
35,  C.)  ;  indeed,  Judas  had  never  accused  the  Lord  of  any 


362  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxvii.  5. 

offence  (ver.  23).  The  word  the  before  innocent  is  not  in 
the  original. — B.  They  said,  etc.  They  imply :  Thy 
innocence  or  guilt,  and  the  innocence  or  guilt  of  Jesus, 
can  have  no  influence  on  our  present  proceedings,  since 
we  have  secured  Him  (comp.  John  21  :  22). — ^See  thou, 
etc.^the  responsibility  rests  on  thee  alone  (ver.  24,  C.)  ; 
if  thou  hast  involved  thyself  in  guilt  and  danger,  provide 
for  thyself  as  thou  best  mayest ;  thou  hast  served  our 
purposes,  and  we  now  discard  thee  (comp.  Acts  18  :  15). 
Such  is  the  sympathy  of  the  ungodly  with  the  ungodly. 

*  And  he  cast  down  the  pieces  of  silver  in  the  temple,  and  departed,  and 
he  went  and  hanged  himself. 

A.  Cast  t  .  .  temple.  The  Greek  word  here  trans- 
lated temple  is  the  specific  name  of  the  sacred  edifice 
itself,  naos,  as  distinguished  from  the  courts  and  their 
appurtenances  (see  4  :  5,  E.  ;  21:12,  A.).  As  a  meeting 
like  the  present  could  not  have  been  permitted  in  the 
interior  of  the  former,  but  must  have  been  held  in  the 
court  of  the  Israelites,  it  is  possible  that  Judas,  in  his  des- 
perate state  of  mind,  either  rushed  into  the  forbidden 
enclosure,  or,  at  least,  turned  towards  it,  at  the  same  time 
hurling  from  him  the  money  which  was  burning  his  very 
soul,  and  which  fell  in  the  interior  of  the  sacred  edifice. — 
Departed.  The  Greek  word  here  used  occurs  at  times  in 
the  Septuagint  or  the  Greek  Bible  (for  which  see  ann.  to 
17  :  10),  as  the  version  of  two  Hebrew  words,  both  of 
which  describe  the  act  of  those  who  "  flee  away  "  (Judg. 
4  :  17;  I  Sam.  19  :  10;  Jercm.  4  :  29 ;  Hos.  12  :  12). — B. 
hanged  (=strangled)  himself,  like  the  perfidious  Ahitho- 
phel  (2  Sam.  17:23).  The  horrible  event  naturally 
created  a  deep  sensation  in  the  city  (Acts  1:18,  19).  It 
is  possible  that  the  wretched  man  committed  the  awful 
crime  of  suicide  in  the  gloomy  valley  of  Hinnom  (  5  :  22, 
G.),  near  one  of  its  many  precipices,  and   that  there  the 


XXVII.  6,  7-]  CHAPTER  XXVII.  363 

hideous   circumstances    occurred    which   were   connected 

with  the  fall  of  the  suspended  body,  after  the  cord  or  the 

branch  of  the  tree  broke,  and  which  are  described  in  Acts 

I  :  18;  they  are  recorded  for  the  purpose  of  inspiring  all 

men  with  a  salutary  awe. 

*  And  the  chief  priests  took  the  pieces  of  silver,  and  said,  It  is  not  law- 
ful to  put  them  into  the  treasury,  since  it  is  the  price  of  blood. 

The  sacred  treasury,  consisting  of  the  gifts  of  the  Jews 

(15:5,  6,  A.  ;   Luke  21  :  i),  was  designed  chiefl}'  for  the 

expenses  of  the  temple  service. — It  is  the  price  of  blood 

=we    paid  that   money  for  the  opportunity  of  putting 

Jesus  to  death.     These  Jews,  precisely  as  the  Lord  had 

characterized  them  ("  strain  at  a  gnat,  etc.,"  23  :  23,  24), 

were  too  scrupulous  to  perform  an  act  which  might  seem 

to  be  a  violation  of  Deut.  23  :  18,  to  which  the  words  : 

"  It  is  not  lawful,  etc.,"  refer,  but  they  deliberately  shed 

the  innocent  blood  of  Jesus. 

'  And  they  took  counsel,  and  bought  with  them  the  potter's  field,  to 
bury  strangers  in. 

A.  Bought  .  .  .  field=a  field,  the  clay  of  which  had 
been  used  by  a  potter  for  the  manufacture  of  earthen- 
ware ;  hence  the  field,  no  longer  suited  for  tillage,  was 
purchased  at  such  a  low  price  (see  26  :  15,  D.). — Took 
counseI=held  a  consultation.  The  peculiar  circumstances 
in  the  present  case  gave  unusual  notoriety  to  tJic  potter's 
field  thus  purchased,  and  furnished  the  name  Aceldama, 
a  Syro-Chaldaic  term  signifying  :  Field  of  blood  (Acts 
I  :  i9)^bought  with  blood-money.  Judas  was  thus  in- 
directly the  author  of  the  purchase  (Acts  i  :  18,  "this 
man  purchased  "),  even  as  the  Jews,  whom  Peter  addresses 
in  Acts  2  :  23,  had  not  personally,  or  with  their  own  hands, 
but  indirectly,  or  through  others,  crucified  the  Lord. — B. 
To  bury,  etc.  The  strangers  are  probably  foreign 
Jews  and  proselytes  who  had  attended  the  festivals,  like 


364  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.         [xxvii.  S-io. 

those  mentioned  in  Acts  2  :  9,  ff.,  and  possessed  no  near 
relations  among  theinhabitantsof  Jerusalem,  where  death 
overtook  them.  The  dislike  with  which  the  Jews  re- 
garded heathen  would  scarcely  have  allowed  the  chief 
priests  in  the  present  instance  to  provide  for  friendless 
Gentile  strangers  who  had  no  religious  claims  on  their 
charity.  Special  burial-places  had  long  before  been 
assigned  for  the  humble  and  the  poor  of  their  own  popu- 
lation (Jerem.  26  :  23). 

*  Wherefore  that  field  was  called,  The  field  of  blood,  unto  this  day. 

(See  ver.  7,  A.) — Unto  this  day=the  time  when 
Matthew  wrote  this  Gospel,  many  years  after  these 
events  occurred  (28  :  15,  D.). 

9'  '°  Then  was  fulfilled  that  which  was  spoken  by  Jeremiah  the  prophet, 
saying,  And  they  took  the  thirty  pieces  of  silver,  the  price  of  him  that  was 
priced,  whom  they  of  the  children  of  Israel  did  price  ; — And  they  gave  them 
for  the  potter's  field,  as  the  Lord  appointed  me. 

A.  Spoken  by  Jeremiah  the  prophet.  When  the 
writers  of  the  N.  T.  quote  the  prophets,  they  occasionally 
omit  the  names,  assuming  that  their  readers  are  familiar 
with  the  words  of  the  O.  T.  (e.  g.  2  :  5,  and  ver.  35, 
below).  Sometimes  they  combine  two  passages  without 
specifying  the  names  of  the  prophets  (see  an  instance 
above^  21:5,  A.,  and  comp.  2  :  23,  B.).  So  Paul  in  Rom. 
9  :  33  combines  Isai.  8 :  14  and  28  :  16,  and  Mark  in  i  :  2, 
3,  connects  Mai.  3  :  I  and  Isai.  40  :  3.  Further,  it  is  well 
known  that  the  later  prophets  occasionally  refer  to  the 
words  of  their  predecessors ;  Zechariah,  in  particular, 
often  quotes  words,  thoughts,  etc.,  of  Jeremiah,  who 
lived  somewhat  less  than  a  century  before  him  (comp.,  for 
instance,  Zech.  i  :4  with  Jerem.  18  :  11  and  35  :  15  J  3  -^  and 
6:  12  with  Jerem.  23  :  5  and  33:  15  ;  n  :  3-5  with  Jerem. 
50  :  6,  7,  44;  11:9  with  Jerem.  15:2;  14  :  10,  11,  with 
Jerem.  31  :  38-40).     Now  in  three  places  (18  :  i,  ff.;  19  :  i, 


XXVII.  lo.]  CHAPTER  XXVII.  365 

ff.;  and  32  :  7,  9),  Jeremiah  describes  circumstances  which 
involved  a  deep  prophetical  meaning,  and  which  the  Divine 
Spirit  interpreted  and  unfolded  more  fully  in  Zech.  1 1  : 
12,  13.  The  low  estimate  placed  on  the  Redeemer  by 
the  Jews,  His  humiliating  j^/r  for  the  price  of  a  slave  (see 
26  :  15,  D.),  and  the  apparently  accidental  purchase  of  a 
potter's  field,  with  the  attending  circumstances,  are  fore- 
shadowed in  the  ancient  history  of  the  people,  even  as 
the  history  of  Jonah  (Matt.  12  ;  39),  and  of  the  serpent  of 
brass  (John  3:14;  Numb.  21:9),  furnished  types  of 
Christ.  Now  Matthew  had  already  alluded  in  26:  15,  in- 
directly, to  Zech.  1 1  :  12,  13,  but  reserved  the  direct  use  of 
the  passage  until  he  should  in  his  narrative  reach  the 
present  events.  Even  as  in  2:23  he  made  a  combination 
of  various  prophetic  passages,  so  here  he  combines  with 
the  passage  in  Zechariah  those  that  occur  in  Jeremiah 
and  which  are  mentioned  above  ;  he  simply  names  Jer- 
emiah as  the  original  source ;  the  familiar  words  in 
Zechariah,  which  he  quotes  more  fully,  suggest  at  once 
to  the  reader  the  name  of  the  latter,  and  hence,  accord- 
ing to  Matthew's  custom,  he  does  not  mention  it  specially. 
— B.  They  took  the  .  .  .  silver.  This  fact  (see  26:  15, 
C.  and  D.)  is  a  striking  illustration  of  Isai.  53:3;  the 
words  occur  in  Zech.  11  :  12. — C.  The  price  .  .  .  priced. 
The  Lord's  enemies  in  their  blindness  regarded  their  own 
act  of  shedding  blood  as  a  mere  business  transaction  like 
Jeremiah's  lawful  purchase  of  Hanameel's  field  (32  :  7-9)  ; 
their  estimate  of  the  Lord's  value  fell  infinitely  below  His 
real  value.  There  is  indeed  something  awful  and  most 
shocking  in  this  mode  of  dealing  with  the  blessed  Saviour, 
to  which  Matthew  calls  our  attention  in  the  words  :  "  the 
price  .  .  .  did  value,"  while  he  also  alludes  to  Zech.  11  : 
13.— D.  And  gave  .  .  .  field.  Matthew  refers  to  their 
act    mentioned   in   ver.  7.      The    prophet    typically   per- 


366  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxvii.  ii. 

formed  the  act  (Zech.  11:13). — E.  As  the  Lord  ap- 
pointed me.  The  words  in  Zech.  11  :  13  contain  the 
Lord's  appointment=comnnission  ;  on  the  other  hand,  the 
transaction  described  in  Jerem.  18  :  1-6  was  intended  to 
illustrate  by  the  potter's  movements  the  absolute  power 
of  God  over  His  people;  theprophet  then  makes  mention 
of  a  potter,  of  the  valley  of  the  son  of  Hinnom,  and  of 
the  awful  doom  of  Jerusalem,  as  well  as  of  the  symbolic 
act  of  breaking  the  earthen  bottle  (Jerem.  19  :  1-12).  All 
these  impressive  scenes  which  Jeremiah  exhibits,  the  later 
prophet  Zechariah  is  guided  by  the  Spirit  in  applying  in 
the  peculiar  language  of  prophecy  to  the  Messiah.  The 
veil  still  resting  on  these  ancient  transactions  and  words 
is  now  removed,  and  in  Matthew  we  receive  a  revelation 
of  the  typical  meaning  of  the  whole.  The  mention  here 
of  the  children  of  Israel  (ver.  9)  may  possibly  allude  to 
the  unnatural  act  of  Joseph's  own  brethren  (Gen.  37  :  28), 
as  an  additional  illustration  of  the  turpitude  of  the  con- 
duct of  Judas  and  the  priests. 

"  Now  Jesus  stood  before  the  governor :  and  the  governor  asked  him, 
saying,  Art  thou  the  King  of  the  Jews  ?  And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Thou 
sayest. 

A.    5tood  before,  etc.  (ver.  2). — B.     Asked  .  .  .  Jews  ? 

Pilate  had  naturally  made  inquiry  respecting  the  nature 
of  the  offence  with  which  Jesus  was  charged  (John  18  : 
29-31)  ;  the  Jews  also  knew  that  Pilate,  as  Gallio,  another 
heathen,  afterwards  did  (Acts  18  :  14,  15  ;  comp.  also 
Acts  25  :  18-20),  would  have  refused  to  entertain  a 
charge  referring  merely  to  Jewish  religious  controversies  ; 
hence  they  found  it  expedient  to  give  a  political  char- 
acter to  their  accusation  (see  Luke  23  :  2,  3).  This  latter 
circumstance  led  to  the  present  question  :  Art  thou,  etc.  ? 
=do  you  really  claim  to  be  the  King  of  the  Jews? — 
C.     Thou  sayest=I  am  (26  :  25,  C).     The  Lord's  addi- 


XXVII.  12-14.]  CHAPTER  XXVII.  367 

tional  words,  explaining  the  spiritual  nature  of  His  king- 
dom, arc  found  in  John  18  :  36.  Paul  refers  to  the  whole 
in  I  Tim.  6:13. 

'^  And  when  he  was  accused  by  the  chief  priests  and  elders,  he  answered 
nothing. 

Accused  by.  The  first  meeting  of  Christ  and  Pilate  in 
the  hall  of  judgment  appears  to  have  been  without  the 
presence  of  witnesses  (John  18  :  28,  29).  The  Jews  appre- 
hended that  by  entering  the  house  of  a  pagan  they  would 
become  legally  unclean  (Numb.  19:22,  and  comp.  Acts 
10  :  28  ;  11:3).  He  went  out  to  the  Jews  and  expressed 
his  conviction  that  Jesus  was  guilty  of  no  political 
"fault  "  (John  18  :  38).  Then  they  "  accused  "  the  Lord 
anew,  as  related  in  Luke  23  :  2,  5.  The  Lord,  having 
been  led  forth  to  the  spot  where  the  Jews  stood,  was 
assailed  by  reproaches  on  all  sides,  to  which  He  submitted 
in  humility  and  silence. 

"  Then  saith  Pilate  unto  him,  Hearest  thou  not  how  many  things  they 
witness  against  thee .'' 

Hearest  thou  not,  etc.=Thou  hast  a  right  to  reply  to 
these  numerous  charges ;  what  self-defence  dost  Thou 
make  ? — Witness  against=here,  accuse  Thee  of ;  in  the 
whole  disorderly  trial  the  accusers  are  not  distinguished 
from  the  witnesses.  Pilate  wished  for  a  denial  on  the 
part  of  the  accused,  which  would  have  compelled  the 
accusers  to  furnish  positive  evidence  of  the  guilt  of 
Jesus.  But  Pilate  the  heathen  was  not  competent  to 
decide  on  the  real  character  of  the  Messiah,  and  hence 
the  Lord  was  silent. 

'*  And  he  gave  him  no  answer,  not  even  to  one  word,  insomuch  that  the 
governor  marvelled  greatly. 

Even  Pilate,  as  the  absence  of  all  displeasure  on  his 
part  shows,  did  not  expect  the  Lord  to  reply  in  detail  to 


368  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [11.  15-17 

charges  so  obviously  proceeding  from  malice  alone  (ver. 
18) ;  but  he  wondered  at  the  calmness,  holy  dignity  and 
meekness  of  one  so  bitterly  assailed,  and  yet  so  self- 
possessed  and  pacific. 

"  Now  at  the  feast  the  governor  was  wont  to  release  unto  the  multitude 
one  prisoner,  whom  they  would. 

The  practice  of  releasing  prisoners  on  occasions  of 
public  rejoicings  (the  accession  of  a  king  to  the  throne,  a 
victory,  etc.)  was  observed  in  many  countries  and  in  dif- 
ferent ages.  The  Roman  government,  which  frequently 
granted  indulgences  to  subject  nations,  permitted  the 
Jews,  in  honor  of  their  great  festival,  the  passover  (John 
18  :  39),  to  select  any  condemned  prisoner  of  their 
nation,  *'  whom  they  would,"  as  the  recipient  of  the  boon 
of  liberty.  The  custom  was  opposed  to  the  spirit  of  the 
Jewish  law'(Exod.  21  :  12  ;  Hebr.  10  :  28),  and  its  origin 
is  not  known. 

**  And  they  had  then  a  notable  prisoner,  called  Barabbas. 

A  notahle^notcd,  notorious  insurgent  and  murderer 
(Mark  15:7;  Luke  23  :  19;  Acts  3  :  14),  whom  they= 
the  officers  of  justice,  had  seized  and  held  in  confinement. 
No  details  respecting  Barabbas  have  been  preserved  in 
history. 

"  When,  therefore,  they  were  gathered  together,  Pilate  said  unto  them, 
Whom  will  ye  that  I  release  unto  you  ?  Barabbas,  or  Jesus  which  is  called 
Christ  ? 

A.  When  they=the  mass  of  the  Jews. — B.  Whom 
will,  etc.  Pilate  was  desirous  of  releasing  the  innocent 
Jesus,  whose  deportment  had  deeply  impressed  him,  and 
hence  he  allowed  a  choice  only  between  Him  and  a  man 
of  infamous  character  then  in  the  hands  of  justice;  he 
supposed  that  the  multitude  would  scarcely  prefer  the 
latter  to  one  who,  as  he  here  intimates,  had  received  the 


XXVI 1.  1 8,  19.]  CHAPTER  XXVIL  369 

honorable  Jewish  appellation  of  Christ=Messiah  (John 
9  :  22  ;   ^.latt.  i  :  I,  B.). 

'*  For  he  knew  that  for  envy  they  had  delivered  him  up. 
For  envy=-through,  on  account  of,  envy.  Pilate  was 
satisfied  in  his  own  mind  that  Jesus  had  committed  no 
illegal  act ;  he  also  ascertained  that  Jesus  had  acquired 
a  degree  of  influence  among  the  people  by  His  benevo- 
lent and  pure  course  of  conduct  that  threatened  to  im- 
pair the  religious  and  political  power  which  the  heads  of 
the  Jewish  nation  had  acquired  by  their  hypocritical  con- 
duct. This  probable  result,  for  which  he  wished  (in 
addition  to  the  deep  impression  which  he  had  received 
from  the  Lord's  conduct  and  word),  increased  his  desire 
to  spare  Jesus.  Hence,  during  the  trial,  having  hastily 
concluded  that  our  Lord  was  a  Galilean,  he  sent  Him  to 
Herod,  whom  the  festival  had  brought  to  the  city  (see 
2  :  I,  D. ;  2  :  22,  C,  and  14  :  i,  B. ;  2,  B.),  with  the  hope 
that  the  latter  would  assume  the  responsibility  and 
release  Jesus  (see  Luke  23  :  6-15). 

"  And  while  he  was  sitting  on  the  judgment  seat,  his  wife  sent  unto  him, 
saying.  Have  thou  nothing  to  do  with  that  righteous  man :  for  I  have  suf- 
fered many  things  this  day  in  a  dream  because  of  him. 

A,  While  he  was  sitting=in  order  to  conduct  the 
trial  to  a  regular  issue,  after  his  first  efforts  to  release 
Christ  had  been  fruitless. — B.  Judgment  seat=elevated 
above  the  spot  which  the  spectators  occupied,  and  before 
the  palace  (John  19  :  13). — C.  His  wife  sent,  etc.  Tradi- 
tion has  assigned,  to  her  the  name  of  Claudia  Procula. 
Besides  various  men  of  heathen  birth,  who  are  mentioned 
in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  as  having  been  influenced  by 
revealed  truth,  "devout  women"  (comp.  Acts  17:4), 
that  is,  pagan  females  who  adopted  the  Jewish  faith,  are 
also  mentioned  (Acts  13  :  50).  Pilate's  wife,  who  had 
accompanied  him  when  he  received  his  appointment,  like 
24 


370  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxvii.  19. 

the  woman  of  Canaan,  may  (15  :  22)  have  been,  at  an 
earlier  period,  deeply  impressed  by  "the  fame"  of  Jesus 
(4  :  24;  9  :  26),  which  reached  all  classes  (14  :  i).  She 
had  doubtless  been  alarmed  during  that  eventful  night 
by  the  tumult,  when  Pilate  sent  forth  the  troop  of  soldiers 
(26  :  47,  B.).  Towards  morning  ("  this  day  ;  "  the  civil 
day  of  the  Romans  began  like  our  own  at  midnight), 
during  her  troubled  slumbers,  the  painful  dream  occurred. 
An  unusual  oppression  weighed  on  her  soul,  in  conse- 
quence of  which  she  conveyed  a  warning  message  to 
Pilate.  Matthew  gives  no  intimation  whether  the  dream 
resembled,  on  the  one  hand,  those  which  in  ordinary 
cases  external  sounds  or  an  uneasy  mind  may  produce, 
or,  on  the  other,  those  which  God  sent  to  Pharaoh  (Gen. 
41  :  I,  ff.)  or  Nebuchadnezzar  (Dan.  2:1;  see  above, 
I  :  20,  C.) ;  when  we  refer  to  i  :  20 ;  2  :  12,  19,  22,  the 
latter  origin  seems  to  be  indicated. — That  righteous  one 
(i  :  19,  B.,  as  in  Acts  3  :  14,  not  man,  which,  word  does 
not  occur  in  the  original)  is  a  phrase  implying  that 
Pilate's  wife,  either  from  previous  knowledge  or  through 
the  extraordinary  dream,  had  obtained  good  evidence  of 
the  Lord's  holy  character.  Providence  furnishes  Pilate 
in  this  testimony  of  his  wife  with  an  additional  oppor- 
tunity to  adhere  to  an  equitable  and  righteous  course  of 
action  ;  and  the  circumstance  that,  in  ver.  24,  he  uses 
his  wife's  expression,  "  that  just  one,"  shows  that  her 
message  had  made  an  impression  on  him. — Have  thou 
nothing  to  do.  For  the  same  phrase,  see  8  :  29,  B. ;  here 
it  expresses  the  desire  of  Pilate's  wife  that  he  should 
refrain  from  exercising  any  direct  official  authority  in  the 
case  of  "  that  righteous  one,"  which  would  involve  the 
condemnation  of  the  latter ;  she  desired  that  he  would 
dismiss  the  prisoner  at  once. — Saying^through  her  mes- 
senger (8  :  5,  C). 


XXVII.  20-22.]  CHAPTER  XXVII.  371 

^  Now  the  chief  priests  and  the  elders  persuaded  the  multitudes  that  they 
should  ask  for  Barabbas,  and  destroy  Jesus. 

The  priests  appear  to  have  suspected  Pilate's  intentions 
(ver.  17,  B.)  ;  when  deaHng  with  prejudiced  countrymen 
or  Jews,  they  easily  succeeded  in  thwarting  the  hated 
pagan's  design,  while  he  was  still  engaged  with  his  wife's 
messenger.  Previously,  the  Lord's  enemies  had  feared 
that  His  popularity  would  interfere  with  their  murderous 
designs  (26  :  5).  But  now  when  the  fickle  multitude  saw 
the  Lord  as  a  prisoner  and  apparently  helpless,  they  at 
once  abandon  Him,  cast  Him  off,  and  become  the  willing 
instruments  of  their  artful  and  malignant  rulers.  The 
hosannas  which  welcomed  Him  who  restored  Lazarus  to 
life  (21  19,  C.)  are  converted  into  shouts  of  execration 
(ver.  22),  addressed  to  a  condemned  and  manacled  pris- 
oner.— KsV.=ask  for,  desire,  as  in  20  :  20 ;  27  :  28  ;  Luke 
I  :  63  ;  Acts  3  :  14. 

^'  But  the  governor  answered  and  said  unto  them,  Whether  of  the  twain 
will  ye  that  I  release  unto  you .''     And  they  said,  Barabbas. 

The  governor  .  .  .  said==repeating  his  former  proposi- 
tion (Luke  23  :  20,  22),  having  been  rendered  still  more 
anxious  by  his  wife's  extraordinary  message. — Whether 
of  the  twain=which  of  the  two  (5  :  41,  B. ;  21  :  31,  A.). 

"  Pilate  saith  unto  them,  What  shall  I  do  then  with  Jesus  which  is  called 
Christ  ?     They  all  say.  Let  him  be  crucified. 

A.  Pilate  saith=appeals  to  their  natural  sense  of 
justice,  implying  :  What  do  you  honestly  believe  that 
this  accused  person  deserves?  The  popular  excitement 
had  now  reached  such  a  height  that,  as  in  many  similar 
cases,  the  voice  of  passion  silenced  the  dictates  of  reason 
and  justice  (comp.  Acts  21  :  35,  36;  22  :  22,  23).— B.  Let 
him  be  crucified.  Crucifixion  was  a  mode  of  inflicting 
capital  punishment  not  known  to  the  Jewish  law.  The 
latter  directed  that  death  should  be  inflicted  with  the 


372  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxvii.  22. 

sword  or  by  stoning.  Barabbas,  as  an  outlaw,  had  been 
condemned  by  the  Romans  to  death  on  the  cross.  The 
Lord's  enemies  eagerly  take  advantage  of  this  circum- 
stance, and  say :  Release  Barabbas  and  transfer  his  pun- 
ishment to  the  other  (comp.  John  18  :  31,  32,  with  Matt. 
20  :  19  and  John  12  :  32,  33).  Crucifixion  was  practised 
by  the  ancient  Persians,  Assyrians,  Egyptians,  Cartha- 
ginians, etc.  The  Romans  did  not  inflict  it  on  a  citizen, 
but  only  on  slaves  and  outlaws,  such  as  counterfeiters  of 
coin,  insurgents,  pirates,  etc.  Hence  when  Paul  preached 
a  crucified  Christ,  Jews  and  Greeks  heard  him  with  igno- 
rant contempt  (i  Cor.  i  :  23  ;  Gal.  5:11).  If  the  delin- 
quent survived  the  scourging  with  thongs  which  usually 
preceded  it  (ver.  26,  B.),  he  was  compelled,  as  an  addi- 
tional mark  of  degradation,  to  carry  the  cross  to  the  place 
of  execution  (ver.  32),  although  this  circumstance  may 
not  have  occurred  in  every  case.  When  he  was  afifixed 
to  the  cross,  which  was  usually  done  after  the  cross  itself 
had  been  planted  in  the  earth,  he  was  securely  tied,  and 
nails  were  driven  through  his  hands  and  feet  (see  Ps. 
22  :  16,  and  comp.  Luke  24  :  39,  40);  the  weight  of  the 
body  was  partially  sustained  by  a  slight  projection  in  the 
middle  of  the  upright  beam,  somewhat  resembling  a  seat. 
The  sufferer,  while  he  was  suspended,  almost  in  a  nude 
state,  on  the  cross,  endured  unspeakable  torment  arising 
from  the  unnatural  and  rigid  position  of  the  body,  the 
laceration  of  the  numerous  nerves  of  the  hands  and  feet, 
the  violent  inflammation  and  swelling  of  the  wounded 
limbs,  which  produced  an  intolerable  thirst,  and  from  the 
continual  pressure  of  the  weight  of  the  limbs  on  the 
lacerated  parts.  The  impeded  circulation  of  the  blood 
created,  besides,  agonizing  pains  in  the  head,  a  horrible 
oppression  on  the  chest,  and  a  feeling  of  anxiety  and  dis- 
tress which   no   language   can  adequately  describe.     All 


XXVII.  23-]  CHAPTER  XXVII.  373 

these  pangs  continually  increased  in  intensity ;  sometimes 
the  sufferer  lived  three  days  in  the  midst  of  these  tor- 
ments. A  liberal  and  humane  interpretation  of  Prov. 
31:6  had  introduced  among  the  Jews  the  practice  of 
giving  to  prisoners  on  their  way  to  their  execution  a 
stupefying  drink  (ver.  34),  in  order  to  produce  a  partial 
unconsciousness  of  pain.  The  corpse  was  usually  suffered 
by  the  Romans  to  remain  on  the  cross  until  it  decayed 
or  was  consumed  by  birds  of  prey.  Among  the  Jews, 
however,  the  bones  of  the  limbs  of  the  sufferer  were 
usually  broken,  and  other  wounds  inflicted,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  hastening  his  death  and  removal  from  the  cross. 
It  was  this  awful  punishment  which  the  malice  of  the 
Lord's  enemies  desired  to  inflict.  Divine  Providence 
permitted  the  event  to  occur,  inasmuch  as  such  a  mode 
of  execution,  while  inexpressibly  degrading  and  painful, 
did  not,  like  the  ordinary  mode  of  beheading,  stabbing 
or  stoning,  actually  produce  a  fracture  of  any  portion  of 
the  body  (ver.  56,  C).  The  original  form  of  the  cross, 
which  was  constructed  of  two  beams,  resembled  the 
letter  T ;  the  one  employed  in  the  case  of  the  Saviour,  as 
the  position  of  the  inscription  shows  (ver.  37),  resembled 
the  printer's  obelisk  (f ),  and  is  called  the  Latin  cross ; 
the  Greek  cross  resembled  the  mathematical  sign  of  ad- 
dition (+) ;  the  St.  Andrew's  cross,  the  mathematical 
sign  of  multiplication  (x),  or  the  letter  X ;  St.  Peter's 
cross  is  an  inverted  obelisk  (.j,). 

*^  And  he  said,  Why,  what  evil  hath  he  done  ?     But  they  cried  out  ex- 
ceedingly, saying,  Let  him  be  crucified. 

The  meaning  is:  I  cannot  consent,  or,  It  is  not  just, 
for  what  evil,  etc.  ?  The  Lord  Himself  had  once  asked 
the  same  question  (John  8  :  46).  Pilate's  hesitation, 
which  led  the  infuriated  multitude  to  apprehend  that 
their  victim  would  escape,  extorts  still  wilder  shouts  of 


374  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxvii.  24. 

hatred  and  revenge.  At  the  same  time,  all  parties,  Judas, 
Pilate,  the  Jewish  leaders  and  the  multitude,  confess  by 
words  or  by  an  expressive  silence  that  not  the  slightest 
blemish  can  be  found  in  the  character  and  conduct  of 
the  accused. 

^*  So  when  Pilate  saw  that  he  prevailed  nothing,  but  rather  that  a 
tumult  was  arising,  he  took  water,  and  washed  his  hands  before  the 
multitude,  saying,  I  am  innocent  of  the  blood  of  this  righteous  man  :  see 
ye  to  it. 

A.  When  Pilate  .  .  .  nothing=found  that  his  re- 
peated remonstrances  ("  the  third  time,"  Luke  23  :  22) 
made  no  impression.  At  this  stage  in  the  proceedings  a 
new  fear  had  seized  Pilate  ;  the  name  "  Son  of  God," 
which  had  occurred  in  the  charges  against  the  Lord 
(John  19  :  7,  8),  combined  with  his  wife's  singular  dream, 
led  him  to  apprehend  that  Jesus  might  possibly  be  one 
of  his  own  heathen  deities.  But  the  Jews,  who  well 
knew  the  jealous  and  vindictive  cruelty  with  which 
Tiberius,  the  Roman  emperor,  crushed  all  who  threatened 
his  authority,  now  tumultuously  exclaim  :  "  If  thou  let 
this  man  go,  thou  art  not  Caesar's  friend  "  (John  19  :  12) 
^f  thou  dost  release  him,  thy  own  life  will  be  forfeited, 
for  we  shall  accuse  thee  before  the  Roman  emperor 
("Caesar,"  16  :  13,  B.),  and  accomplish  thy  ruin.  This 
argument  prevailed  !  As  the  repentance  of  Judas  was 
not  an  evangelical  repentance,  but  fear,  remorse  and  de- 
spair (ver.  3),  so  Pilate's  views  of  Christ  were  not  equiva- 
lent to  an  evangelical  faith,  but  were  more  allied  to 
superstition  and  heathenish  opinions  than  to  an  en- 
lightened conception  of  the  Saviour's  person  ;  hence  his 
convictions  of  the  Lord's  innocence  and  high  character 
yielded  to  his  own  worldly  lusts  and  selfishness. — B.  He 
took  .  .  .  hands.  Among  the  symbolical  actions  (10  : 
14,  C.  ;   18:2,  B.)  which  were   known   to  the   Jews,  and, 


XXVII.  25-]  CHAPTER  XXVJI.  375 

in  some  instances,  to  other  ancient  nations,  the  act  of 
washing  the  hands  indicated  that  the  person  who  per- 
formed it  denied  all  participation  in  the  guilt  which 
others  contracted  by  the  crime  (see  Deut.  21:6;  Ps.  26: 
6).  Pilate's  reluctant  consent  to  the  execution  of  the 
Lord  had  been  extorted  from  his  fears  ;  he  here  con- 
forms to  the  significant  practice  of  the  Jews  which  he 
well  knew,  and  which  certain  analogous  pagan  lustrations 
rendered  intelligible  to  him,  for  the  purpose  of  intimat- 
ing to  them  that  they  alone  should  bear  the  guilt  of  the 
act.  Nevertheless,  the  water  could  as  little  relieve  his 
conscience  from  a  sense  of  guilt,  or  cleanse  his  soul,  as 
the  "  blood  of  bulls  and  goats "  of  itself  could  cleanse 
from  sin  (Hebr.  9  :  9,  14;  10  :  i,  2). — C.  1  am  innocent, 
etc.=free  from  the  guilt  contracted  by  the  crime — en- 
tirely innocent  (see  2  Sam.  3  :  28  ;  Acts  20  :  26).  Cain, 
the  murderer,  before  Pilate's  day,  had  also  declared  his 
innocence  (Gen.  4  :  9). — 5ee  ye,  etc.^I  cast  the  whole 
responsibility  on  you  (ver.  4,  B.). 

-'   And  all  the  people  answered,  and  said,  His  blood  be  on  us,  and  on  our 
children. 

In  the  madness  and  fury  of  the  moment,  the  entire 
multitude,  utterly  regardless  of  the  awful  import  and 
effect  of  their  defiance  of  the  Most  High,  promptly 
accede  to  Pilate's  terms,  and  assume  the  whole  crushing 
guilt  of  the  deed  (ver.  24,  B.). — His  blood  be,  etc.=let 
the  punishment,  if  there  be  any  inflicted,  come  on  us  and 
our  nation  (see  ann.  to  23  :  35,  B.,  C).  And  that  blood 
did  come  in  a  fearful  manner  on  them,  even  according  to 
the  words  :  "  Let  thy  wrathful  anger  take  hold  of  them  " 
(Ps.  69  :  24,  and  see  Ps.  109  :  17).  The  predictions  of 
the  Lord  in  ch.  24,  referring  to  the  destruction  of  Jeru- 
salem and  its  horrors,  were  all  fulfilled.     Their  children 


376  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxvir.  26. 

=descendants  to  this  day,  still   seem   to   bend  under  the 
i^rievous  weight  of  this  imprecation. 

=*  Then  released  he  unto  them   Barabbas.    But  Jesus  he  scourged  and 
delivered  to  be  crucified. 

A.  Released — Barabbas.  Pilate,  who  was  deeply- 
mortified  that  the  despised  Jews  had  sufficient  power  to 
defeat  his  purpose  of  liberating  the  accused  Jesus,  sul- 
lenly released  the  notorious  criminal  ;  he  permitted 
Jewish  turbulence  and  malice  to  tarnish  the  majesty  of 
the  Roman  law  by  the  execution  of  an  innocent  victim. 
Me  partially  vented  his  spleen  when  he  placed  the  in- 
scription on  the  cross  (see  ver.  37  and  ver.  38,  ann.). — B. 
But  Jesus  he  scourged.  The  scourging,  which,  among 
the  Romans,  preceded  crucifixion  (ver.  22,  B.),  was  dis- 
tinguished by  its  excessive  barbarity  from  the  Jewish 
mode  of  inflicting  the  punishment  (10  :  17,  C),  and  was 
not  applied  in  the  case  of  a  Roman  citizen  (Acts  22  :  25). 
The  Roman  scourge  was  made  of  leathern  thongs  fast- 
ened at  one  end  to  a  wooden  handle,  and  armed  at  the 
other  with  pieces  of  metal,  in  order  to  increase  the 
severity  of  the  punishment.  The  offender,  bending  over 
a  low  pillar  or  block,  to  which  he  was  tied,  exposed  his 
entire  back  to  the  blows  ;  these  were  inflicted  without 
measure  until  large  portions  of  flesh  were  torn  away ; 
the  sufferer  sometimes  fainted  and  even  died  before  the 
executioner  withheld  his  arm.  In  the  present  case,  the 
earlier  proposition  of  Pilate  (Luke  23  :  16,  "chastise  "^ 
beat,  scourge),  and  his  subsequent  appeal,  in  John  19  :  i, 
4,  5,  seem  to  indicate  that  he  may  have  entertained  a 
lingering  hope  that  the  ferocity  of  the  Jews  would  be 
appeased  on  seeing  the  bleeding,  fainting  victim,  and 
would  consent  to  spare  his  life.  The  Jewish  thirst  for 
blood  prevailed,  and  Pilate,  completely  subdued,  delivered 
hiin=yielded  Him  up  (17  :  22)  to  the  e?iecutioners. 


XXVII.  27-29-]  CHAPTER  XXVH.  377 

^'  Then  the  soldiers  of  the  governor  took  Jesus  into  the  palace,  and 
gathered  unto  him  the  whole  band. 

The  palace,  literally  the  prcetorium.  [First  meaning 
the  headquarters  of  the  commander-in-chief  of  a  Roman 
camp,  and  then  the  residence  of  a  Roman  procurator.] 
The  place  here  described  afforded  room  for  the  whole 
troop,  and,  at  the  same  time,  freed  the  latter  from  the 
presence  of  the  Jews.  The  conduct  of  Pilate  in  permit- 
ting the  gross  indignities  now  offered  to  Jesus  shows  that 
while  his  conscience  had  been  alarmed  and  his  fears 
awakened  previously  (ver.  18,  19,  24),  no  pure  and  ele- 
vated feelings  dwelt  in  his  heart. 

^*'  ^9  And  they  stripped  him,  and  put  on  him  a  scarlet  robe. — And  they 
planted  a  crown  of  thorns,  and  put  it  upon  his  head,  and  a  reed  in  his  right 
hand:  and  they  kneeled  down  before  him,  and  mocked  him,  saying,  Hail, 
King  of  the  Jews  ! 

The  Lord  had  been  falsely  accused  of  aiming  at  kingly 
power  (ver.  11).  Herod,  without  inquiring  into  the  truth 
of  the  charge,  had  basely  and  unjustly  exposed  this  claim 
to  derision  (Luke  23  :  11).  These  Roman  soldiers,  whose 
coarse  manners  had  taught  them  to  enj"oy  sport  of  such  a 
brutal  character,  repeated  Herod's  pitiful  jest.  The 
scarlet  or  "purple"  (John  19  :  2)  robe  represented  in 
mockery  the  costly  apparel  worn  by  kings,  and  also  by 
Roman  generals  of  armies.  (The  Greek  terms  for  colors 
are  in  many  cases  very  indefinite ;  thus,  one  of  these 
words,  translated  "  purple,"  is  applied  both  to  any  dark 
and  to  very  light  shades  of  red.)  The  crown  of  thorns 
(possibly  the  naba  of  the  Arabs,  a  very  common  plant 
with  pliant  branches  which  were  covered  with  small  and 
sharp  spines),  while  it  in  mockery  represented  a  royal 
crown,  was  also  intended  to  inflict  pain ;  the  frail  reed 
(11  -.7,  A.)  was  a  mockery  of  a  royal  sceptre,  the  badge 
of  power  (Esth.  4  :  11);    and  when   they  kneeled  down, 


378  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.      [xxvii.  30-32. 

they  offered  the  Lord  in  derision  the  homage  rendered  to 
an  oriental  monarch  (2  :  2,  D. — Hail,  etc.,  26  :  49,  B.). 

*•  And  they  spat  upon  him,  and  took  the  reed,  and   smote   him  on   the 
head. 

The  scenes  described  in  26  :  67  are  here  repeated  ;    the 

additional  cruelty  is  mentioned  that  His  head  was  beaten 

with  the  reed,  in  order  that  the  thorns  might   inflict  new 

pangs. 

^'  And  when  they  had  mocked  him,  they  took  off  from  him  the  robe,  and 
put  on  him  his  garments,  and  led  him  away  to  crucify  him. 

These   savage  men   are   at   length   satiated,   and   their 

coarse  and  brutal  jest  begins   to  weary   them.     Roman 

soldiers  of  an   earlier  age  would   have   disdained  to    be 

guilty  of  the  cowardly  act  of  abusing  a  solitary,  bleeding 

and  unresisting  victim. 

3^  And  as  they  came  out,  they  found  a  man  of  Cyrene,  Simon  by  name  : 
him  they  compelled  to  go  with  them,  that  he  might  bear  his  cross. 

A.  Came  out— of  the  city,  within  the  walls  of  which 
the  execution  of  criminals  was  not  permitted  (see  21  :  39, 
B.). — B.  Cyrene=a  large  city  in  Libya  (Africa),  at  a 
short  distance  from  the  southern  shore  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean Sea.  So  many  of  the  Jews  of  this  city  (who  con- 
stituted at  one  time  one-fourth  of  the  population)  came 
to  Jerusalem,  that  they  occupied  a  sjmagogue  of  their 
own  (Acts  2  :  10;  6:9);  many  of  them  became  Chris- 
tians (Acts  II  :  20).— C.  Simon  by  name.  The  unmer- 
ciful treatment  which  the  Lord  had  received  during  the 
whole  preceding  night  and  the  scourging  which  succeeded 
had  probably  so  completely  exhausted  Him,  that  He  tot- 
tered under  the  weight  of  the  cross  (John  19  :  17).  The 
soldiers,  perceiving  a  stranger  advancing  towards  them 
with  the  intention  of  entering  the  city  ("  coming  out  of 
the  country  "=the  fields  near  the  city,  Luke  23  :  26), 
"  laid  hold  upon  "  him,  possibly  instigated  by  the  accom- 


XXVII.  33.  34]  CHAPTER  XXVII.  379 

panying  Jews,  who  may  have  recognized  a  disciple  of  the 
Lord  in  him,  and  placed  the  cross  on  him.  That  act 
resembled,  as  the  original  word  for  compelled  (5  :  41,  A.) 
implies,  a  military  requisition  or  impressment.  After- 
wards, or  at  least  on  the  way  to  Golgotha,  the  scene 
occurred  which  is  described  in  Luke  23  :  27-3 1 .  The  men- 
tion of  the  names  of  Simon's  sons  in  Mark  15:21  (prob- 
ably eminent  members  of  the  Church  at  a  somewhat  later 
period)  has  led  some  to  suppose  that  the  mother  of  Ru- 
fus,  whom  Paul  regarded  with  filial  love  (Rom.  16:  13), 
and  Rufus  himself,  were  members  of  this  Simon's  family. 

^^  And  when  they  were  come  unto  a  place  called  Golgotha,  that  is  to  say, 
the  place  of  a  skull, 

Golgotha.  The  deep  interest  attaching  to  this  spot 
has  led  to  the  presentation  of  its  name  in  four  languages : 
Hebrew,  or  rather  Chaldee  (Aramaic),  Golgotha  (John 
19  :  17);  Greek,  kranion  (Luke  23  :  33),  for  which  the 
translators  (see  margin  of  the  English  Bible)  employ  a 
form  constructed  from  the  Latin,  calvaria,  namely.  Cal- 
vary ;  the  English  term  is  skull,  and  so  occurs  as  the 
translation  of  the  Hebrew  word  Gulgolct  in  2  Kings  9  : 
35. — A  place  of  a  skull=a  spot  called  The  Skull.  It  was 
possibly  a  knoll  or  skull-shaped  eminence,  or  contained  a 
rock  resembling  a  human  skull  in  shape,  but  the  site  has 
not  been  positively  ascertained,  neither  does  suf^cient 
authority  exist  for  terming  it  a  mount  or  mountain, 
Robinson  says  (Bibl.  Res.  L  417):  "I  am  led  irresistibly 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  Golgotha  and  the  tomb  now 
shown  in  the  church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  are  not  upon 
the  real  places  of  the  crucifixion  and  resurrection  of  our 
Lord."  This  impression  was  deepened  at  his  second 
visit  in  1852  (HL  254-263). 

*♦  They  gave  him  wine  to  drink  mingled  with  gall :  and  when  he  had 
tasted  it,  he  would  not  drink. 


380  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW,      [xxvii.  35,  36. 

A.  Wine  .  .  .  gall.  The  cheap  acid  or  sour  wine 
of  the  country  is  meant,  usually  medicated  or  drugged 
(hence  "mingled  with  myrrh,"  Mark  15  :  23),  when  given 
in  cases  like  the  present  (see  above,  ver,  22,  B.).  The  in- 
fusion of  gall  in  this  particular  case  may  have  proceeded 
from  the  indescribably  malevolent  feelings  of  one  of  the 
by-standers,  who  desired  to  inflict  an  additional  pang  (see 
Ps.  69  :  21). — B.  He  .  .  .  drink.  This  circumstance, 
which  is  mentioned  also  in  Mark  15  :  23,  without  refer- 
ence to  the  gall,  indicates  that  our  Lord  was  not  willing 
to  be  bereft  of  consciousness  and  the  sense  of  pain  in 
His  last  moments  by  the  stupefying  mixture  :  He  after- 
wards received  the  unmixed  wine  (ver.  48;  John  19:  30), 
which  relieved  His  thirst. 

35  And  when  they  had  crucified  him.  they  parted  his  garments  among 
them,  casting  lots. 

A.  Crucified  him  (see  ver.  22,  B.).  "  Then  said 
Jesus,  Father  forgive  them,  etc."  (Luke  23  :  34). — B. 
Parted  his  garments.  The  Roman  law  granted  the  ap- 
parel of  a  criminal  to  his  executioners  as  a  perquisite 
(see  the  prediction  in  Ps.  22  :  18). —  His  garments  (= 
clothes),  with  the  exception  of  one  article,  were  cut 
asunder  at  the  seams,  in  order  to  allow  a  more  even  dis- 
tribution of  the  materials.  The  details  are  given  in  John 
19  :  23,  24. — C,  Casting  Iots=--"  what  every  man  should 
take  "  (Mark  15  :  24) ;  the  Roman  watch,  as  in  this  case, 
usually  consisted  of  aquaternion=four  men  (Acts  12  :  4), 
relieved  every  three  hours.  They  cast  lots  specially  for 
the  coat,  as  no  one  had  direct  claims  to  it ;  these  rude 
pagans,  in  one  sense,  engaged  in  a  "  game  of  chance." 

'*  And  they  sat  and  watched  him  there. 

Watched^that  none  of  the  friends  of  the  sufferer 
mieht  remove  Him  from  the  cross. 


XXVI r.  yj,  38.]  CHATTER  XXVIL  381 

"  And  set  up  over  his  head  his  accusation  written,  This  is  Jksus  the 
King  ok  the  Jews. 

A.  Set  up  .  .  .  accusation=according  to  Pilate's 
directions  (John  19  :  19).  A  tablet  was  frequently 
affixed  to  the  top  of  the  cross,  on  which  was  written  a 
"  title"  (John  19:  19),  that  is,  a  statement  of  the  offence 
(accusation)  for  which  the  individual  suffered. — B,  This 
is  Jesus  ("  of  Nazareth,''  John  19  :  19),  etc.  This  inscrip- 
tion, and  the  stern  refusal  to  change  it  (John  19  :  22), 
together  with  the  fact  stated  in  ver.  38,  below,  strikingly 
exhibit  the  exasperation  of  Pilate  against  the  Jews, 
proceeding  not  primarily  from  his  disgust  at  their  treat- 
ment of  One  whom  he  regarded  as  innocent,  but  rather 
from  the  personal  affront  offered  to  him  by  their  artful 
mode  of  compelling  him,  the  proud  Roman,  and  their 
superior  in  rank,  to  submit  to  their  will  (ver.  24,  A.,  and 
26,  A.).  In  place  of  simply  stating  the  offence  implied  in 
John  19:  12,  he  chose  the  present  inscription,  with  slight 
variations  in  the  three  languages  (Luke  23  :  38),  both  for 
the  purpose  of  appearing  in  the  Roman  emperor's  eyes 
as  the  conqueror  of  an  usurper,  and  also  of  mortifying 
the  pride  of  the  Jews.  For,  when  he  placed  One  whom 
he  represented  as  their  "  king  "  in  such  a  degrading 
position,  he  heaped  disgrace  on  the  whole  nation,  par- 
ticularly as  the  three  languages  spoken  by  the  Jews,  by 
strangers  or  Greeks,  and  by  Romans  were  all  employed 
(John  19  :  20). 

3'  Then  are  there  crucified  with  him  two  robbers;  one  on  the  right  hand, 
and  one  on  the  left. 

Two  robbers.  Possibly  two  of  the  associates  of  Barab- 
bas  in  his  crimes,  who  are  mentioned  in  Mark  15^7,  and 
who  had  been  guilty  of  rapine  and  bloodshed  during  one 
of  the  many  insurrections  of  the  day ;  they  cannot  have 
been  Roman  citizens    (ver.  22,  B.).     The    position  which 


382  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW,      [xxvii.  39,  40. 

Pilate  assigned  to  these  two  Jewish  criminals  on  the  right 
and  the  left  of  the  "  King  of  the  Jews,  '  after  ("  then  ") 
the  Lord  had  first  been  nailed  to  the  cross,  and  the 
simultaneous  execution  itself,  were  circumstances  exceed- 
ingly unwelcome  to  the  Jews.  The  "  King  of  the  Jews," 
elevated  above  the  multitude,  is  attended  by  representa- 
tives of  the  nation  at  his  right  and  left  hands  (20:  20,  B.); 
the  whole  scene,  like  the  inscription  (ver.  37,  B.),  was 
designed  by  Pilate  to  be  a  bitter  mockery  at  the  actual 
bondage  of  the  Jews.  In  John  8  :  33  they  had  foolishly 
disowned  the  government  that  held  them  in  bondage,  and 
nothing  but  the  superior  power  of  their  bitter  personal 
hatred  of  Christ  extorted  from  them  unconsciously  the 
humiliating  confession  :  *'  We  (the  children  of  Abraham) 
have  no  king  but  (the  pagan  Roman  emperor)  Caesar  " 
(John  19  :  15).  Mark  refers  in  15  :  28  to  the  fulfilment 
of  Isai.  53  :  12;  the  Lord  Himself  had  previously  an- 
nounced to  His  disciples  that  this  prophecy  would  be  ful- 
filled in  His  case  (Luke  22  :  37). 

^'  And  they  that  passed  by  railed  on  him,  wagging  their  heads, 
A.  They  .  .  .  by=strangers  and  citizens,  all  being 
unoccupied  during  the  festival.  Reviled,  lit.  blaspJiemed 
(see  9  :  3,  C). — B.  Wagging  (=shaking)  their  heads. 
This  gesture  of  derision  (foretold  in  Ps.  22  :  7)  was  equiv- 
alent among  the  Jews  to  the  offer  of  a  grievous  insult 
(2  Kings   19  :  21  ;  Job   16  :  4;   Ps.  109  :  25  ;   Isai.  37  :  22). 

*°  And  saying,  Thou  that  destroyest  the  temple,  and  buildest  it  in  three 
days,  save  thyself.     If  thou  art  the  Son  of  God,  come  down  from  the  cross. 

A.  Saying  .  .  .  days.  The  allusion  is  to  the  slander- 
ous charge  mentioned  in  26  :  61. — Save  thyself  (see  ver. 
42). — B.  If  thou  art,  etc.=others  of  the  multitude  said  : 
"If  thou  claimest  to  be,  etc.,"  alluding  to  the  words  in 
26  :  6}^,  64. — Come  down  etc.^prove  it  by  freeing  Thy- 
self.    Is  not  the  voice  of  the  arch-enemy,  who  once  said, 


xxvii.  41,4-]  CHAPTER  XXVII.  383 

"  Cast  thyself  down,  etc.  "  (4  :  6),  again  heard  in  these 
words  of  indescribable  malignity  ? 

*'  In  like  manner  also  the  chief  priests  mocking  him,  with  the  scribes  and 
elders,  said, 

These,  the  highest  dignitaries  of  the  Jews,  are  betrayed 

by    their   wicked    hearts    into    the    commission    of    acts 

so  vile  and  brutal,  and  really  so  blasphemous,  that  we 

might  have  expected  even  the  dregs  of  the  populace  to 

recoil  in  horror  from  such  baseness  and  impiety. 

*^  He  saved  others;  himself  he  cannot  save.  He  is  the  King  of  Israel; 
let  him  now  come  down  from  the  cross,  and  we  will  believe  on  him. 

A.  He  saved  .  .  .  cannot  save.  The  original  word  to 
save  is  sometimes  employed  in  the  case  of  a  miracle,  as 
in  9  :  21,  22  ;  Mark  6  :  56,  and  then  translated:  to  make 
zvholc.  The  sense  is:  He  delivered  others  from  danger, 
sickness  and  death  by  divine  power,  as  His  adherents 
allege,  but  those  accounts  are  mere  fabrications,  for  He 
cannot  rescue  even  Himself  from  death.  There  is,  pos- 
sibly, a  profane  allusion,  intended  to  be  an  additional 
mockery,  to  the  name  jESUS  (see  i  :  i,  B.).  As  all  was 
said  in  scorn  (ver.  41),  some  interpreters  propose  to  give 
an  interrogative  form  to  the  words,  which  the  original 
will  allow,  thus  :  "  He  saved  others?  Himself  he  cannot 
save?"  The  sarcastic  allusion  then  is  to  His  present 
helplessness  as  an  evidence  that  He  always  was  a  mere 
pretender.  These  malignant  and  impious  men  forget 
that  the  omission  to  perform  an  act  does  not  prove  an 
inability  to  perform  it,  else  the  divine  omission  to  prevent 
various  deeds  of  Satan,  such  as  the  original  temptation 
(Gen.,  ch.  3  ;  2  Cor.  1 1  :  3),  or  his  present  control  of  the 
Jews,  would  prove  that  God  was  inferior  in  power  to 
Satan. — B.  He  is  the  king,  etc.=they  make  this  pro- 
fession, but  even  the  greater  miracle  of  the  resurrection 
did  not  expel  the  venom  from  their  hearts,  and  conduct 


384  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.      [xxvii.  43,  44. 

them  to  faith  (28  :  1 1,  ff. ;  Acts  5  :  28  ;  Luke  16  :  31  (see 

ann.  to  12  :  39,  B.). 

^  He  trusted  on  God ;  let  him  deliver  him  now,  if  he  desireth  him  :  for 
he  said,  I  am  the  Son  of  God. 

A.  He  trusted  on  God=always  professed  to  be  obedi- 
ent to  God  and  full  of  trust  in  His  love.  Of  that  trust 
various  illustrations  occur  in  the  Lord's  words  in  John, 
ch.  5,  6.  His  enemies,  in  their  blindness,  are  not  aware 
of  the  glorious  tribute  which  they  here  really  offer  to  the 
uniform  holiness  of  the  Saviour's  words  and  conduct, 
neither  do  they  remember  that  they  are  at  the  moment 
literally  fulfilling  the  prediction  in  Ps.  22  :  8. — B.  If  he 
desireth  him=if  He,  God,  really  delights  in  Him  (see  Ps. 
22  :  8,  English  Bible,  margin) ;  so,  with  the  insertion  of  a 
negative,  the  words,  "thou  wouldest  not,"  are  equivalent 
to  "  thou  hast  had  no  pleasure,"  in  Hebr.  10  :  5,  6.  The 
spirit  in  which  these  words  are  uttered  is  one  of  impiety 
and  blasphemy. 

**  And  the  robbers  also,  that  were  crucified  with  him,  cast  upon  him  the 
same  reproach. 

As  Matthew  is  hastening  to  the  close  of  his  narrative, 
in  which  he  designs  to  give  special  prominence  to  the 
Lord  Himself,  he  omits  the  case  of  the  penitent  male- 
factor described  in  Luke  23  :  39-43.  It  is,  indeed,  pos- 
sible that  the  latter  may  at  first  have  united  with  the 
other  malefactor  in  reviling  the  Lord,  and,  struck  by  His 
holy  bearing,  have  been  convinced  of  His  innocence  and 
his  own  iniquity  ;  so  heathen  persecutors  in  later  ages 
are  occasionally  said  to  have  become  believers  on  seeing 
the  faith  of  expiring  martyrs.  Still,  the  circumstances  do 
not  render  it  probable.  Matthew  rather  seems  to  use  the 
plural  number,  thieves,  in  place  of  ///?>/,  according  to  the 
mode  described  above  (21:5,  F.).  So  Mark  in  7  :  17 
ascribes  Peter's  question  (Matt.  15:15)  to  the  "disciples" 


XXVII.  45-]  CHAPTER  XXVII.  385 

generally.     At  this  point,  or  somewhat  later,  the  affect- 
ing incident  related  in  J(^hn  19:25-27  probably  occurred. 

■**  Now  from  the  sixth  hour  thert;  was  darkness  over  all  the  land  until  the 
ninth  hour. 

A.  Sixth  hour.  The  Lord  had  been  crucified  (=af- 
fixed  to  the  cross)  at  the  "third  hour"  (Mark  15  :  25), 
according  to  the  Jewish  computation  of  the  hours  (Matt. 
20  :  3,  B.)=nine  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  sixth  hour 
was  our  twelve  o'clock  or  noon,  the  ninth  our  three 
o'clock  P.  M.  When,  in  John  19  :  14,  the  Saviour  is 
represented  as  standing  before  Pilate,  previously  to  the 
crucifixion,  "  about  the  sixth  hour,"  that  evangelist,  who 
wrote  long  after  Matthew,  and  under  different  circum- 
stances, conforms  to  the  mode  of  computing  the  hours 
adopted  by  the  Romans.  Now,  they  counted  the  hours 
(after  the  close  of  the  Punic  wars,  B.  C.  147)  from  mid- 
night to  midnight  (forming  the  civil  day  of  24  hours). 
The  "  sixth  hour"  in  the  Gospel  of  John  is,  accordingly, 
also  our  six  o'clock  (comp.  John  i  :  39),  where  the  Roman 
and  modern  ten  o'clock  A.  M.,  rather  than  the  Jewish 
tenth  hour  or  four  o'clock  P.  M.,  is  meant  ;  so,  too,  John 
4  :  6,  52. — B.  There  was  darkness.  "  The  sun  was  dark- 
ened "  (Luke  23  :  45)  during  three  hours.  The  passover 
was  always  celebrated  at  the  time  of.  the  full  moon  (see' 
26  :  2,  B.,  §  2,  and  26  :  46),  when  the  moon  is  opposite  to 
the  sun  ;  an  ordinary  eclipse  of  the  sun  (occasioned  by 
the  intervention  of  the  moon  between  it  and  the  earth) 
cannot  then  occur.  Moreover,  no  such  eclipse  continues 
three  entire  hours.  Hence  this  darkness,  like  the  other 
signs  mentioned  in  ver.  51,  was  extraordinary  and  mirac- 
ulous ;  the  God  of  nature  most  forcibly  called  the  atten- 
tion of  men  to  the  solemnity  of  the  hour  in  which  "  the 
Lord  of  glory  "  (i  Cor.  2  :  8)  suffered  shame  and  death. 
The  darkness  likewise  reminded  men  of  that  "  thick 
25 


386  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxvii.  46. 

darkness  in  all  the  land  of  Egypt"  which  preceded  a 
great  deliverance  of  the  people  of  God,  but  portended 
the  ruin  of  God's  enemies,  whose  place  the  Jews  now 
assumed  (Exod.  10  :  22). — Over  the  land^probably 
Judcea,  as  the  same  term  is  understood  in  Luke  4:25; 
21:21  and  23,  while  in  Luke  23  :  44  and  James  5:17 
the  same  word  is  translated  "  earth  "  (comp.  5  :  5,  B.). 

^'^  And  about  the  ninth  hour  Jesus  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  saying,  Eh, 
EH,  lama  sabachthani  ?  that  is.  My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken 
me  ? 

A.  With  a  loud  voice=indicating  the  intensity  of  His 
feelings  [and  the  fact  that  His  strength  was  not  ex- 
hausted].— B.  Eli,  Eli,  etc.  In  several  instances  (e.  g. 
Mark  5:41;  7  :  34)  the  evangelists  have  preserved  the 
identical  Aramaean  (Syro-Chaldaic)  words  of  the  Lord. 
This  vernacular  language  of  the  Jewish  people  differed 
somewhat  from  the  ancient  Hebrew  in  pronunciation 
and  other  features.  The  first  four  Hebrew  words  of  Ps. 
22  are  given  by  Matthew  in  letters  of  the  Greek  alpha- 
bet ;  he  subjoins  the  translation  after  the  words  :  tJiat  is 
to  say.  The  difference  in  Mark  15  :  34,  Eloi,  arises  from 
.  a  difference  in  the  Syriac  pronunciation.  That  whole 
Psalm  (see  above,  ver.  35,  39)  is  a  prediction  of  the  Re- 
deemer's sufTerings.  The  language  in  John  8  :  29 ;  16  : 
32,  as  well  as  in  John  13:1,3,  the  peaceful  and  confid- 
ing words  of  the  expiring  Saviour  in  Luke  23  :  46 
(quoted  from  Ps.  31  :  5),  and  the  very  term  here  employed  : 
My  God,  forbid  us  to  believe  that  the  Lord  lamented 
that  He  was  abandoned  and  cast  off  by  His  Father  in 
that  awful  moment ;  he  who  proves  by  such  an  earnest 
prayer  that  he  has  not  forsaken  God,  is  surely  not  himself 
forsaken.  The  believer  now  often  quotes  words  of  the 
Psalms  in  seasons  of  sorrow  (like  these :  "  All  thy  waves 
and  thy   billows   are  gone  over  me,"  Ps.  42   :  7),   when 


XXVII.  47J  CHAPTER  XXVII.  387 

a  strict  literal  application  is  not  intended.  There  is, 
further,  no  plain  indication  that  the  "  agony  "  experi- 
enced in  Gethsemane  (26  :  37,  C.)  had  returned  ;  more- 
over, the  Lord  had  just  declared  that  the  gate  of  para- 
dise was  open  for  Him  (Luke  23  :  43).  It  would  then 
seem  that  He  was  not  at  that  moment  uttering  the  lan- 
guage of  despair  ;  He  appears,  during  these  three  hours 
of  darkness,  while  awe  and  dread  had  produced  silence 
around  Him,  to  have  been  occupied  with  reflections  (John 
19  :  28)  on  the  twenty-second  Psalm.  The  afflictions 
there  predicted  had  come  upon  Him  (ver.  6-8,  12,  13,  16- 
18);  at  the  same  time  cheering  words  of  submission,  of 
faith  and  of  joyful,  animating  hope  occur  in  that  Psalm, 
especially  from  ver.  22  to  the  end  ;  e.  g.  ver.  24  :  "  neither 
hath  he  (the  Lord)  hid  his  face  from  him  (the  afflicted 
one)."  All  these  sentiments  of  sorrow  and  distress,  of 
faith  and  joy  in  God,  arise  successively  in  the  sufferer's 
soul  ;  and  now,  "  knowing  that  all  things  were  now 
accomplished"  (John  19  :  28),  He  attests  before  heaven 
and  earth,  by  repeating  the  introductory  words,  that  all 
the  predictions  and  promises  of  the  old  covenant,  refer- 
ring to  His  atoning  work,  have  been  literally  fulfilled, 
and  that  His  work  is  "  finished  "  (John  19:30).  His 
very  last  words  (Luke  23  :  46)  are  a  quotation  from 
Ps.  31  :  5. 

'■''  And  some  of  them  that  stood  there,  when  they  heard  it,  said,  This  man 
calleth  Elijah. 

Elijah  signifies  :  my  God  is  Jehovah  (the  latter  holy 
name  appears  in  its  abbreviated  form  as  Jah,  which  is 
found  in  Ps.  68  :  4).  The  first  two  syllables  of  the  name 
(namely,  Eli-)  coincide  with  the  first  words  of  the  Psalm 
just  quoted  by  the  Lord,  and  hence  some  of  the  by- 
standers, possibly  foreign  Jews  to  whom  the  Greek  lan- 
guage was  more  familiar  than  the  Aramaean,  supposed 


388  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW,      [xxvii.  48,  49. 

that  the  well-known  name  of  the  prophet  had  been  men- 
tioned, and  seriously  thought  that  the  Lord  referred  to 
him.  It  was  generally  believed  by  the  Jews  at  that 
time  that  Elias  would  really  return  to  the  world  as  the 
harbinger  of  the  Messiah  (see  ann.  to  17  :  10).  Now, 
when  we  consider  that  several  hours  had  already  elapsed 
since  the  Lord  had  been  afifixed  to  the  cross,  during 
which  the  exultation  of  His  enemies  had  subsided,  and 
that  the  preternatural  "  darkness  "  had  deeply  impressed 
and  alarmed  the  Jews,  and  inspired  them  as  well  as  the 
centurion  with  "  fear  "  (ver.  54),  it  does  not  seem  prob- 
able that  those  by-standers  (who,  moreover,  professed  to 
revere  the  letter  of  the  Scriptures  and  the  divine  name 
itself)  would  jest  in  a  spirit  of  levity,  and  pretend  to  find 
a  play  upon  words  here. 

**  And  straightway  one  of  them  ran,  and  took  a  sponge,  and  filled  it  with 
vinegar,  and  put  it  on  a  reed,  and  gave  him  to  drink. 

The   Lord   had  said  :  "I  thirst"  (John  19  :  28).     One 

of  the  spectators,  deeply  moved   by  all   that   he  beheld, 

and,  possibly,  governed  by  a  humane  impulse,  performed 

the  act  here  described. — The  vinegar  was  the  acid  wine 

of  the  country  mixed  with  water,  which  the  soldiers,  who 

used  it  as  an  ordinary  beverage,  had  brought   with   them 

(John    19  :  29  ;  comp.   Numb.   6:3;  Ruth  2  :  14).      The 

sponge,   which,   under    the    circumstances,  suited    better 

than  a  cup,  was  attached  to  a  hyssop  stalk  or  stem  that 

was  at  hand  ;  the  latter  was  of  sufBcient  length,  although 

the  plant  is  not  large,  as  the  feet  of  a  person  suspended 

on  a  cross  were  not  elevated  far  above  the  ground. 

*'  And  the  rest  said,  Let  be,  let  us  see  whether  Elijah  cometh  to  save 
him. 

The  single  Greek  word,  translated  Let  be,  is,  probably, 

not  to  be  understood  here  in  the  chiding  sense  of  "  Hold  !  " 

or  "  Forbear !  "  but  was  rather  addressed  to  others,  in  the 


xxvii.  50.]  CHAPTER  XXVII.  389 

sense  of  "  Come !  Well  !  "  The  sense  is  :  The  others, 
doubting,  fearing,  and  yet  disposed  to  defy  their  fears, 
said  to  each  other,  with  the  view  of  stifling  their  rising 
apprehensions  :  We  will  see=we  do  not  believe  that 
Elijah,  etc. 

'°  And  Jesus  cried  again  with  a  loud  voice,  and  yielded  up  the  ghost. 

A,  Cried  again  (ver.  46)  •  .  .  voice^exclaimed  in 
loud  and  emphatic  tones  :  "  It  is  finished  "  (John  19  : 
30) ;  "  Father,  into  thy  hands,  etc."  (Luke  23  :  46  ;  comp, 
the  same  term  ''  to  cry,"  as  descriptive  of  a  powerful 
emotion  expressing  itself  in  words,  in  9  :  27  ;  Rom.  8:15; 
Rev.  6  :  10).  The  "  Seven  Words  "  of  Christ,  uttered  on 
the  cross,  occurred  in  the  following  order  :  Luke  23  :  34  ; 
Luke  23  :  43  ;  John  19  :  26  and  ver.  27  ;  Matt.  27  : 
46,  or  Mark  15  :  34  ;  John  19  :  28  ;  John  19  :  30  ; 
Luke  23  :  46. — B.  Yielded  up  the  ghost=his  soul.  The 
word  ghost  (see  i  :  18,  D.)  originally  signified  breath, 
wind  (2  Thess.  2:8);  it  was  then  employed  in  the  sense 
of  spirit  (^incorporeal,  immaterial,  Luke  24  :  39,  as  con- 
tradistinguished, for  instance,  from  the  material  body)  ; 
thus  the  terms  Hoiy  Ghost  and  Holy  Spirit  iX^wV^  11  : 
13  ;  12  :  12)  are  precisely  the  same  in  meaning,  as  they 
are  identical  in  the  Greek.  Like  the  original  word  in 
the  present  text,  and  in  John  19  :  30,  the  word  ghost 
(==spirit),  in  addition  to  other  meanings,  was  also  employed 
as  a  name  for  the  human  soul  or  spirit  ;  it  occurs  in  this 
sense  here  as  elsewhere  (James  2  :  26).  So  a  correspond- 
ing Hebrew  word  in  Job  1 1  :  20  may  be  translated  ghost 
as  in  the  text,  or  breath  as  in  the  margin  of  the  English 
Bible,  or  the  whole  may  read  :  "  Their  hope  shall  be 
as  the  breathing  out  of  the  soul."  The  analogous  Greek 
phrase  occurs  in  Mark  15  :  37  and  Luke  23  :  46,  and  may 
be  translated  in  both  passages  as  here,  literally  :  breathed 


390  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.      [xxvn.  51-53. 

forth,  namely,  the  spirit  or  soul.  The  English  word  ex- 
pire also  simply  means  originally,  to  breatJie  out.  The 
sacred  writers,  finding  no  terms  in  human  language  that 
could  adequately  describe  the  vastness  and  solemnity  of 
this  event — the  death  of  Christ — here  observe  an  express- 
ive silence. 

"  And,  behold,  the  vail  of  the  temple  was  rent  in  twain  from  the  top  to 
the  bottom  ;  and  the  earth  did  quake,  and  the  rocks  were  rent : 

A.  Vail  of  the  temple.  This  vail  (for  which  see  Exod. 
26  :  31  ;  Lev.  16:2;  2  Chron.  3  :  14)  was  suspended  be- 
fore the  "  Holy  of  Holies,"  or  Holiest  of  all  (Hebr.  9  :  3, 
7),  containing  the  ark  of  the  covenant,  which  none  could 
enter  except  the  high  priest,  and  he  only  on  the  day  of 
atonement  (Exod.  30:  10;  Lev.  16:2,  12),  "the  Holy 
Ghost  this  signifying,  that,  etc."  (Hebr.  9  :  8).  Hence, 
the  rending  of  the  entire  vail,  and  the  exposure  of  the 
interior,  now  signified  that  under  the  new  covenant  we 
have  "  boldness  to  enter,  etc."  (Hebr.  10  :  19).  The  be- 
liever now  approaches  the  presence  of  God,  through 
Christ  his  advocate  (i  John  2  :  i),  without  the  interven- 
tion of  earthly  priests  and  the  sacrifice  of  animals.  Very 
possibly  this  wonderful  event  influenced  some  of  the 
priests  in  the  city  who  afterwards  became  disciples  (Acts 
6  :  7). — B.  The  earth,  etc.  This  earthquake,  like  the 
darkness  mentioned  in  ver.  45,  was  preternatural^a 
miracle  designed  to  attest  the  momentaus  character  of 
the  event  that  had  occurred.  All  these  indications  of 
the  special  attention  of  the  Most  High  to  the  passing 
scene  doubtless  tended  to  strengthen  the  disciples  and 
other  believers  whom  the  awful  manner  in  which  their 
Master  seemed  to  perish  had  overwhelmed  with  grief. 

'-'  '^  And  the  tombs  were  opened  ;  and  many  bodies  of  the  saint  that 
had  fallen  asleep  were  raised, — And  coming  forth  out  of  the  tombs  after 
his  resurrection,  they  entered  into  the  holy  city,  and  appeared  unto  many. 


xxvii.  Si-53.]  CHAPTER  XXVII.  391 

A.  And  the  .  .  .  opened.  A  deep  darkness  had  for 
ages  covered  the  grave  viewed  as  the  portal  to  the  eternal 
world  (see  ii  :  23,  B.).  That  darkness  was  dispelled  by 
"  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  Avho  hath  abolished  death,  and 
hath  brought  life  and  immortality  to  light  through  the 
Gospel  "  (2  Tim.  i  :  10).  This  distinguishing  feature  of 
the  Gospel,  and  also  the  glorious  work  of  Christ,  who 
"  through  death  "  destroyed  "  him  that  had  the  power  of 
death,  that  is,  the  devil  "  (Hebr.  2  :  14),  are  strikingly 
illustrated  by  the  actual  opening  without  human  agency 
of  graves  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city.  At  that  moment  the 
work  of  the  "  quickening"  (=life-giving,  John  5:21;  i 
Cor.  15  :  45)  Saviour  was  "  finished  "  (John  19  :  30). — B. 
Saints=holy  persons.  The  original  word  is  often  trans- 
lated "  holy  "  (e.  g.  4  :  5  ;  J  :  ^\  25:31,  and  throughout 
the  N.  T.).  When  the  Church,  the  "  body  of  Christ  " 
(Eph.  I  :  22,  23)  was  organized,  it  was  assumed  that  all 
who  were  members  of  it  were  now  consecrated  to  God, 
purified  and  sanctified  by  the  Holy  Spirit  (Rev.  6  :  2-6); 
they  were,  accordingly,  like  the  prophets  (Acts  3:21) 
called  tJic  holy  oncs=sav/fs  {comp.  Acts  9  :  i,  2,  with  ver. 
13,  14,  32,  41,  of  the  same  chapter),  in  contradistinction 
from  unconverted  Jews  and  Gentiles.  In  such  a  sense 
(=members  of  the  church  of  Christ,  true  believers,  con- 
secrated to  God  and  His  service),  the  word  very  frequently 
occurs  in  the  Epistles  (e.  g.  Rom.  1:7;  15  :  26;  16  :  2, 
15).  In  an  analogous  sense  (=persons  who  had  conse- 
crated themselves  to  God  and  His  service),  the  word  may 
occur  here  in  reference  to  devout  persons  who  had  lived 
under  the  old  covenant.  Still,  it  is  possible  that  these 
individuals  were  believers  who  had  recently  died,  like 
Simeon,  Anna,  the  shepherds,  etc.  (Luke,  ch.  2),  and  Avho 
appeared  to  their  surviving  friends. — C.  Fallen  asleep= 
had   died  (comp.  Dan.  12:2;  John  11  :  11;  Acts  7  :  60; 


392  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xwii.  54. 

I  Thess.  4:13,  14).  The  Greek  word  has  furnished  us 
with  the  term  cemetery,  Ht.  sleeping-place. — D.  After  his 
resurrection,  etc.  The  graves  were  opened  by  the  earth- 
quake at  the  moment  of  the  Saviour's  death  ;  the  next 
event  was  His  own  resurrection,  as  "  the  first-fruits 
(earhest,  first)  of  them  that  slept  "  (i  Cor.  15  :  20).  Then 
only  ("  after,  etc.")  these  opened  graves  sent  forth  their 
tenants.  The  circumstance  that  the  latter  appeared  unto 
many  is  here  revealed  ;  but  divine  wisdom  has  withheld 
from  us  not  only  the  knowledge  of  their  names,  but  also 
the  precise  purpose  of  their  appearance,  except  that  we 
may  easily  judge  that  they  furnished  additional  evidence 
of  the  Lord's  divine  mission.  It  appears  from  i  Peter  3  : 
19;  4:6,  and  possibly  from  Eph.  4:9;  Col.  2:15,  that 
the  Saviour  Himself,  probably  after  His  resurrection  on 
the  third  day,  and  before  He  appeared  to  any  of  His  dis- 
ciples, visited  the  world  of  the  dead  ;  His  proceedings 
are  not,  however,  further  revealed,  and  human  wisdom, 
unaided  by  further  revelations,  which  have  been  with- 
held, cannot  explain  the  mystery. — Holy  city  (see  4  :  5, 
C). — Appeared  unto  many^as  Christ  Himself  did,  "  not 
to  all  the  people,  etc."  (Acts  10  :  41). 

'*  Now  the  centurion,  and  they  that  were  with  him,  watching  Jesus,  when 
they  saw  the  earthquake,  and  those  things  that  were  done,  feared  exceed- 
ingly, saying,  Truly  tliis  was  the  Son  of  God. 

A.  The  centurion  (see  8:5,  B.).  This  ofificer  doubt- 
less had  superintended  the  execution  in  the  present  case, 
and  commanded  the  watch  mentioned  in  ver.  36. — B. 
Those  .  .  .  done==the  darkness  (ver.  45),  but  specially 
the  utterance  by  the  expiring  Lord  (Mark  15  :  39)  of 
words  which  were  so  full  of  sublime  peace  and  hope  (ver. 
50,  A.). — They  feared  exceedingly=they  felt,  when  the 
awful  signs  in  nature  occurred,  that  here  no  malefactor  had 
died,  but   that    tJicy  themselves  were   the  true  criminals ; 


XXVII.  55- 56]  CHAPTER  XXVII.  393 

Others,  moved  with  fear,  "  smote  their  breasts  "  (Luke 
23  :  48)  and  hastened  away  from  the  spot. — C.  Truly 
.  .  .  Son  of  Qod=divine  (see  also  Luke  23  :  47,  and 
comp.  Acts  14  :  11),  This  bHnd  heathen  and  his  attend- 
ants, aware  of  the  charges  of  the  Lord's  enemies  (John 
19  :  7),  and  deeply  moved  by  the  signs  which  they  saw, 
now  confessed  that  the  Lord  was  innocent,  holy  and 
divine. 

''  And  many  women  were  there  beholding  from  afar,  which  had  followed 
Jesus  from  Galilee,  ministering  unto  him. 

A.  And  many  .  .  .  afar  off=including  certain  be- 
lieving men,  as  the  form  of  the  Greek  word  translated 
"  acquaintance  "  in  Luke  23  :  49  shows.  This  group  is 
peculiarly  interesting  ;  these  devout  believers,  repelled 
from  the  neighborhood  of  the  cross  by  rude  soldiers,  are 
still  so  full  of  devotion  and  love,  that,  anxious  to  testify 
their  fidelity  to  their  dying  Lord,  they  can,  by  the  power 
of  faith  and  love,  endure  to  witness  the  heartrending 
spectacle. — B.  From  Galilee  .  .  .  him  (see  Mark  15  : 
41  ;  Luke  8  :  2,  3).  The  vast  spiritual  blessings  which  He 
had  conferred  on  those  individuals  had  won  all  their  faith 
and  love,  and  they  consecrated  themselves  wholly  to  His 
service. — Ministering  (see  4  :  11,  B.). 

"  Among  whom  was  Mary  Magdalene,  and  Mary  the  mother  of  James  and 
Joses,  and  the  mother  of  Zebedee's  children. 

A.  riary  (lit.  the)  Hagdalene.  The  latter  appellation, 
annexed  to  Mary's  name,  in  order  to  distinguish  her  from 
other  Marys,  such  as  the  sister  of  Lazarus,  simply  in- 
dicates by  its  termination  that  she  was  a  native  or  resident 
of  the  town  of  Magdala,  mentioned  in  15  :  39.  (So  the 
geographical  appellation  in  Mark  i  :  24;  14:67;  Luke 
4  :  34,  in  the  original  is  Nasaroic.)  The  miracle  of  grace 
which  the  Lord  performed  for  her  (Mark  16  :  9)  is  men- 
tioned by  Luke,  ch.  8  :  2,  soon  after  describing  (in  7  :  37, 


394  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxvii.  57. 

ff.)  the  devout  act  of  the  "  woman  who  was  a  sinner." 
Hence  some  interpreters  suppose  that  woman  to  be  this 
Mary.  Her  deep  devotion  to  her  deliverer,  manifested 
at  the  cross,  at  the  burial,  and  after  the  resurrection  of 
the  Lord,  has  secured  for  her  an  eminent  position  in  the 
concluding  remarks  of  the  four  evangelists.  Of  the  earlier 
and  later  history  of  this  highly  favored  woman,  authentic 
history  has  preserved  no  details. — B.  Mary  .  .  .  Joses, 
the  wife  of  AIpheus=Clopas(John  19  :  25,  margin,  and  see 
13  :  55,  C). — C.  The  mother,  etc--=Salome  (Mark  15  : 
40),  the  wife  of  Zebedee  (see  20  :  20,  B.).  These  devoted 
adherents  suffered  an  additional  pang  when  a  soldier 
pierced  the  Lord's  side  with  a  spear  (John  19  :  34),  in- 
flicting a  ghastly  and  very  large  wound  (John  20  :  27). 
Still,  not  "a  bone  was  broken"  (John  19:  32-37  ;  see 
Exod.  12  :  46;  Numb.  9:12;  Ps.  34  :  20)  ;  hence,  while 
the  Lord  "poured  out  his  soul  unto  death  "  (Isai.  53  : 
12),  His  body  was  not  "  broken  "=subjected  to  mutila- 
tions or  fractures  (see  26  :  26,  D.,  and  27  :  22,  B.). 

'^  And  when  even  was  come,  there  came  a   rich    man   from  Arimathea, 
named  Joseph,  who  also  himself  was  Jesus'  disciple : 

A.  Even=Friday,  somewhat  before  sunset.  The 
bodies  of  the  crucified  usually  remained  for  some  time  in 
their  exposed  condition  (ver.  22,  B.) ;  Jewish  usages,  how- 
ever, founded  on  Deut.  21  :  23,  and  enforced  in  this  case 
by  the  approach  of  the  great  passover  Sabbath,  would  not 
allow  the  corpse  to  remain  on  the  cross  (see  John  19:31- 
37). — B.  There  came=probably  to  Golgotha,  while  the 
soldiers  took  the  body  down  from  the  cross,  and  before 
they  had  disposed  of  it. — C.  A  rich  man,  etc.  (see  the 
full  description  of  Joseph  in  Mark  15  :  43  ;  Luke  23  :  50, 
51).  The  statement  that  he  was  rich  alludes  to  Isai.  53  : 
9=he  was  able,  in  accordance  with  the  prophecy,  to  fur- 
nish a  fitting  grave  (ver.  60)  for  the  Lord.     He  had  been 


XXVII.  58.]  CHAPTER  XXVIT.  395 

a  timid  "  disciple  "  (John  19  :  38),  but  now  nobly  redeemed 
his  character  when  the  lifeless  body  of  the  Lord  most 
of  all  needed  the  honors  usually  rendered  to  the  dead  ; 
he  cast  off  all  fear,  and  "  boldly  "  came  forward  (Mark 
15  :  43).  Nicodemus,  the  former  visitor  of  the  Lord 
(John  3  :  1,2),  now  exhibits  equal  fearlessness  and  faith 
(John  19  :  39).  Both  had  previously  yielded  too  much  to 
personal  fears,  but  the  scenes  which  occurred  at  the  cru- 
cifixion (ver.  54)  had  shown  them  so  plainly  the  presence 
of  God,  that  they  cast  off  all  fear  of  man.— Arimathea, 
supposed  by  some  to  be  identical  with  Samuel's  birth- 
place (i  Sam,  1:1,  19),  among  whom  is  von  Raumer  ; 
others  identify  it  with  Ramah  (Ramleh)  in  the  plain  of 
Sharon,  about  three  miles  from  Lydda,  which  "  was  nigh 
to  Joppa  "  (Acts  9  :  38),  and  thirty  miles  northwest  of 
Jerusalem.  Luke's  remark  in  23  :  51,  that  Arimathea  was 
''a  city  of  the  Jews,"  possibly  refers  to  the  grant  of  the 
three  districts  of  Apherima,  Lydda  and  Ramatha  to  the 
Jews  about  B.C.  145  (Jos.  Ant.  13,  4,  9).  Ramah,  men- 
tioned in  2  :  18,  and  identified  by  some  writers  with 
Samuel's  birthplace,  is  by  others  regarded  as  a  different 
place.  As  the  name  Ramah,  sxgmiymg  height,  high  place, 
occurs  in  the  Scriptures  as  that  of  several  different  spots, 
interpreters  have  not  yet  been  able  to  distinguish  each 
one  from  the  rest  with  entire  precision.  Robinson  inclines 
to  the  opinion  that  Samuel's  birthplace  and  Arimathea 
are  identical ;  he  thinks  that  Ramleh  and  Arimathea  were 
two  different  places,  but  is  satisfied  that  the  ancient  site 
of  Arimathea  cannot  now  be  positively  identified  (Bibl. 
Res.  IL  239-241  ;  IIL  141). 

'*  This  man   went  to   Pilate,  and  asked  for  the  body  of  Jesus.     Then 
Pilate  commanded  it  to  be  given  up. 

A.     Went  to  PiIate=from  the  place  of  crucifixion,  be- 
fore the  ultimate  disposition  of  the  body  was  determined. 


396  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.      [xxvii.  59,  60. 

— B.  Asked,  etc.  Pilate  might  have,  as  in  similar  cases, 
claimed  a  gratuity  in  money  for  the  favor  ;  however,  he 
still  remembered  the  uneasiness  which  he  had  experienced 
in  the  morning  (ver.  19,24),  and  his  apprehensions  appear 
to  have  returned  when  he  received  the  centurion's  report 
(Mark  15  :  44,  45).  He  gladly  offered  the  only  atonement 
for  his  unjust  and  cruel  conduct  which  the  circumstances 
allowed. — Begged ^(7^/t^,  desired,  as  the  word  is  else, 
where  almost  uniformly  translated,  as  in  14  :  7;  20  :  20. 
''  And  Joseph  took  the  body,  and  wrapped  it  in  a  clean  linen  cloth, 

The  hour  of  the  day  was  late,  and  the  Sabbath  was  at 
hand  (Luke  23  :  54=Friday  evening  at  sunset),  when  no 
work  was  permitted  (Luke  23  :  56).  As  the  process  of 
embalming  the  body  was  deferred  by  Joseph  and  Nico- 
demus  (who  did  not  expect  the  resurrection)  until  the 
close  of  the  Sabbath,  they  hastily  "wound  "  the  body  in 
"  linen  clothes  "  (John  19  :  40),  that  is,  strips  or  bandages 
of  "  clean,"  namely,  7iczv  linen  placed  around  the  body  ; 
they  also  deposited  the  "  spices  "  around  it  (John  19  : 
39,  40).  It  was  their  intention  to  complete  the  embalm- 
ing after  the  close  of  the  Sabbath.  The  Greek  name  for 
linen  cloth  indicates  an  article  of  elaborate  finish  and 
great  value. 

''°  And  laid  it  in  his  own  new  tomb,  which  he  had  hewn  out  in  the  rock  : 
and  he  rolled  a  great  stone  to  the  door  of  the  tomb,  and  departed. 

A.  And  laid  .  .  .  rock. — New="  wherein  never  man 
before  was  laid"  (Luke  23  :  53;  John  19  :  41),  conse- 
quently clean  in  the  Jewish  sense=not  yet  defiled  by  the 
presence  of  a  corpse  (22  :  27,  A.). — His  own=intended 
as  a  burial-place  for  himself  and  his  family.  It  appears 
from  John  19  :  41  to  have  been  constructed  in  a  garden 
which  Joseph  owned  in  the  vicinity  of  Golgotha  (comp. 
2  Kings  21  :  26).     Such  depositories  were   often  natural 


xxvii.  Go.J  CHAPTER  XXVII.  397 

cavities  (Gen.  23  :  17),  or  were  hewn  out  of  the  rocks 
(8  :  28,  C.  ;  Isai.  22  :  16). — B.  Rolled  etc.  The  mode 
of  burial  among  the  ancient  Jews  varied  in  some  respects 
with  the  circumstances.  Wealthy  persons  like  Joseph 
(ver.  57)  constructed  extensive  tombs,  consisting  of 
chambers  and  passages,  with  niches  or  recesses  ;  his  own 
admitted  several  persons  (Mark  16:5;  Luke  24  :  3).  A 
low  entrance  or  door  conducted  to  the  interior.  In  such 
cases  the  corpse  was  not  lowered  as  when  one  is  deposited 
in  a  modern  grave,  but  was  carried  into  the  vault,  which 
was  entered  by  a  horizontal  avenue.  Such  was  the  burial- 
place  of  Asa  (2  Chron.  16  :  14).  In  a  tomb  of  this  kind, 
the  entrance  to  which  was  on  the  side  of  a  hill,  the  body 
of  Jesus  was  "laid"  (John  19  :  42)=placcd,  put.  The 
door  or  opening  was  perpendicular,  and  not  flat  or  horizon- 
tal like  the  mouth  of  a  modern  grave  ;  hence  the  stone 
was  rolled  to  ("unto"  Mark  15  :  46)  the  door.  John 
accordingly  "  stooped  down  "^bent  forzvard  (not  over), 
in  order  to  look  in  through  the  low  entrance,  while  Peter 
went  into  (not  dozvn  into)  the  sepulchre  ;  Mary  stood  on 
the  outside  (John  20  :  5,6,  11).  Robinson  says:  "  The 
numerous  sepulchres  which  skirt  the  valleys  on  the  north, 
east  and  south  of  Jerusalem,  exhibit  for  the  most  part 
one  general  mode  of  construction.  A  doorway  in  the 
perpendicular  face  of  the  rock,  usually  small  and  without 
ornament,  leads  to  one  or  more  small  chambers  excavated 
from  the  rock,  and  commonly  upon  the  same  level  with 
the  door.  Very  rarely  are  the  chambers  lower  than  the 
doors"  (Bibl.  Res.  I.  352).  "  The  numerous  sepulchral 
chambers  around  Jerusalem  are  all  excavated  horizontally 
in  the  natural  or  artificial  face  of  the  rock,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  tombs  of  the  prophets,  which  differ  from 
this  as  well  as  from  all  others.  The  entrance  is  always 
at  the  side,  and  never  above"  (Bibl.  Res.  III.  181). 


398  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.         [xxvii.  61-64. 

6"  And  Mary  Magdalene  was  there,  and  the  other   Mary,  sitting   over 
against  the  sepulchre. 

These  two  Marys  are  mentioned  in  ver.  56,  The 
scene  presented  by  these  devout  and  faithful  women, 
sitting  at  that  late  hour  in  that  spot,  in  loneliness  and 
unspeakable  grief,  unable  to  abandon  the  remains  of 
their  adored  Master,  and  yet  without  well-defined  hopes 
of  His  resurrection  (16  :  21,  B.),  is  deeply  affecting. 

*=  Now  on  the  morrow,  which  is  the  day  after  the  Preparation,  the  chief 
priests  and  Pharisees  were  gathered  together  unto  Pilate, 

A.  The  next  day=the  Sabbath  day,  probably  Friday 
evening  after  sunset,  when  the  Sabbath  began.  Our  own 
Saturday,  beginning  at  midnight,  therefore  commences 
several  hours  after  the  Jewish  Sabbath. — B.  The  day  of 
Preparation^ Friday  (see  26  :  2,  B.,  §  5)^the  ever  mem- 
orable day  of  the  Lord's  crucifixion. — C.  The  chief 
priests,  etc.=unable  to  find  repose,  even  after  the  suc- 
cessful commission  of  the  bloody  deed  ;  a  guilty  con- 
science gave  additional  poignancy  to  their  fears  ;  hence 
they  violate  by  this  business  transaction  their  own  rules 
respecting  the  sanctity  of  their  Sabbath. 

*^  Saying,  Sir,  we  remember  that  that  deceiver  said,  while  he  was  yet 
alive,  After  three  days  I  will  rise  again. 

A.  That  deceiver=who  claimed  to  be  the  Messiah 
and  Son  of  God  (26  :  63 ;  John  7  :  12).  The  same  appel- 
lation was  given  to  the  Lord's  followers  (2  Cor.  6  :  8). — 
Sir  (8  :  2,  C). — B.  Said,  while,  etc.  The  Lord  had  re- 
peatedly predicted  His  resurrection  on  the  third  day, 
both  in  the  presence  of  His  disciples  (16:21,  F,),  and  also 
in  public  (12  :  39,  40).  One  of  these  occasions,  described 
in  John  2  :  19-21,  had  been  vividly  recalled  to  their 
memory  (26  :  61). 

^*  Command  therefore  that  the  sepulchre  be  made  sure  until  the  third 
day,  lest  haply  his  disciples  come  and  steal  him  away,  and  say  unto  the 


XXVII.  65.]  CI/AFTEK  XXVI L  399 

people,  lie  is  risen  from  the  dead:  and  the  last  error  shall  be  worse  than 
the  first. 

A.  Be  made  sure=be  secured  ;  the  same  word  is 
rendered  "made  fast"  in  Acts  16:24.-8.  Lest  his 
disciples  .  .  .  dead.  They  seem  to  fear  that  the  words 
of  the  Lord  respecting  His  resurrection  will  be  verified, 
but  they  hide  their  fears  by  the  weak  device  of  alleging 
that  the  timid  and  scattered  disciples  might  undertake 
the  hazardous  work  of  removing  and  concealing  the  body, 
and  then  publishing  that  their  Master  had  risen  from  the 
grave. — C.  The  last  error=deception,  fraud,  that  is,  the 
pretended  resurrection  of  the  Lord.  They  speak  as  if  the 
accuracy  of  their  opinions  were  undoubted. — D.  The  first 
=error  or  fraud  ;  they  here  refer  to  the  Lord's  claim  that 
He  is  the  Messiah,  which  they  wickedly  term  an  impost- 
ure.— Worse^for  the  public  order  and  peace.  The  whole 
phraseology  is  of  the  nature  of  a  proverb  (see  ann.  to 
12  :  43-45,  A.). 

*'  Pilate  said  unto  them,  Ye  have  a  guard :  go  your  way,  make  it  as  sure 
as  ye  can. 

A.  Pilate  said.  His  ready  compliance  with  their 
request  shows  that  while,  as  a  heathen,  he  would  at 
another  time  have  "  mocked  "  on  hearing  that  any  one 
should  really  believe  in  the  possibility  of  the  resurrection 
of  the  dead  (Acts  17  :  32),  his  own  personal  fears  had  not 
yet  passed  away  (see  ver.  58,  B.).— B.  Ye  have  a  watch 
=a  guard.  This  detachment  of  soldiers  appears  from 
28  :  12,  14,  to  have  been  taken  from  Pilate's  own  men, 
and  cannot  therefore  refer  to  the  temple-guard  mentioned 
in  ann.  to  26  :  47,  B.  The  latter,  besides,  consisted  of 
Jews,  who  would  have  violated  the  law  of  the  Sabbath  by 
performing  the  service — an  additional  reason  of  the  Jews 
for  requesting  a  guard  consisting  of  heathen.  The  orig- 
inal   may    accordingly  be    so  understood,  that   Pilate   at 


400  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxvii.  66 

once  issued  orders  to  a  company  of  men,  and  then,  turn- 
ing to  the  Jews,  said  :  Now  ye  have  the  guard,  go  at 
once,  etc. — C.  As  ye  can,  ht.  as  yc  knoxv  Jioiv=m  the 
most  effectual  manner  known  to  you.  Pilate,  himself 
much  alarrried,  eagerly  assents  to  the  proposition,  and 
urges  them  to  act  without  delay. 

**  So  they  went,  and  made  the  sepulchre  sure,  sealing  the  stone,  the 
guard  being  with  them. 

A.  So  .  .  .  stone.  The  stone  placed  at  the  door 
by  Joseph  (ver.  60)  was  not  disturbed  ;  it  was  sealed,  as, 
probably,  in  the  case  mentioned  in  Dan.  6:  17,  by  stretch- 
ing a  cord  over  it,  and  fastening  the  ends  by  means  of 
wax  or  any  other  adhesive  substance,  like  sealing-clay,  to 
the  rock  which  formed  the  edge  of  the  opening ;  the  wax 
or  clay  received  the  impress  of  a  private  seal,  and  thus  its 
condition  at  any  time  would  indicate  whether  the  vault 
had  been  secretly  entered,  or  had  remained  undisturbed. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

'  Now  late  on  the  sabbath  day,  as  it  began  to  dawn  toward  the  first  day 
of  the  week,  came  Mary  Magdalene  and  the  other  Mary  to  see  the  sepul- 
chre. 

A,  In  the  .  .  .  sabbath=late,  or,  some  time  after  the 
close  of  the  Sabbath  ;  the  precise  time  is  not  stated  ;  the 
circumstance  occurred  several  hours  after  sunset  of  Satur- 
day evening,  which  coincided  with  the  end  of  the  Sabbath  ; 
hence  Mark  says :  "  When  the  sabbath  was  past  "  (i6  :  i). 
— B,  As  it  .  .  .  week="  very  early  in  the  morning" 
(Mark,  Luke),  "  when  it  was  yet  dark  "  (John  20  :  i).  A 
comparison  of  the  accounts  of  the  four  evangelists  fur- 
nishes the  following  results  : — Before  the  sun  had  risen 
on  the  first  day  of  the  week  (=Sunday),  flary  flagdalene, 
the  other  Mary  (see  27  :  56,  61),  Salome  (Mark  16  :  1), 
Joanna  and  other  women  (Luke  24  :  10)  proceeded  to 
the  grave,  in  order  to  complete  the  process  of  anointing 
the  body,  which  had  been  interrupted  on  the  previous 
Friday  evening  (see  above,  27  :  59).  Mary  Magdalene 
appears,  as  John  soon  afterwards  did  (John  20  :  3,  4),  to 
have  hastened  onward  alone,  when  it  was  yet  dark  (John 
20  :  i)  ;  to  her  the  Lord  "  appeared  first  "  (Mark  16:9; 
John  20  :  II,  ff.).  Afterwards  the  other  women  "came 
unto  the  sepulchre  at  the  rising  of  the  sun  "  (Mark  16:2; 
Luke  24  :  i). — To  see  the  sepuIchre=for  the  purpose  of 
anointing  the  body  (Mark  16  :  i). 

^  And,  behold,  there  was  a  great  earthquake  :  for  an   angel  of   the   Lord 
descended  from  heaven,  and  came  and  rolled  away  the  stone,  and  sat  upon  it. 
26  401 


402  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxvin.  2,  3. 

A.  And,  behold.  In  order  to  explain  the  circumstance 
that  the  stone  no  longer  obstructed  the  entrance  (Mark 
16  :  3),  Matthew  here  supplies  the  history  of  the  events 
which  occurred  during  the  earlier  part  of  the  night,  that 
is,  after  the  first  day  of  the  week  had  commenced,  or 
during  the  interval  between  the  close  of  the  Sabbath  and 
the  arrival  of  the  women  at  the  grave.  The  eventful 
"third  day"  (16  :  21,  F.)  after  the  crucifixion  had  com- 
menced on  Saturday  evening  at  sunset ;  the  second  day 
extended  from  Friday  evening  to  Saturday  evening.  The 
first  day  of  the  three,  or  the  day  of  the  crucifixion,  was 
Friday,  in  the  afternoon  of  which  the  Lord  had  been 
buried  (27  :  57,  A.;  see  12  :  40,  A.,  and  26  :  2,  B.,  §  5). 
The  stone  was  rolled  away,  not  for  the  purpose  of  re- 
moving an  obstruction  to  the  passage  of  the  Saviour,  to 
whose  glorified  body  well  secured  doors  offered  no  hin- 
drance (John  20  :  19,  26),  but  of  exhibiting  to  His  followers 
the  empty  grave. — B.  A  great  earthquake.  This  con- 
cussion of  the  earth  marked  the  advent  of  the  angel. — 
C.  An  angeI-=not  a  human  being,  although  in  appear- 
ance "a  young  man,"  Mark  16:5.  ("  Let  all  the  angels 
of  God  worship  Him  "=the  Son,  Hebr.  i  :  6.) — D.  And 
came,  etc.  This  event  took  place  before  the  arrival  of 
the  women  at  the  grave  (Mark  16  :  4).  The  solemn 
scenes  which  now  occurred,  the  raising  of  the  Lord's  body 
(2  Cor.  4  :  14),  and  His  own  acts  immediately  afterwards, 
are  not  here  further  unfolded  by  the  sacred  writer; 
neither  is  the  place  revealed  where  the  Lord  abode  during 
the  succeeding  forty  days. 

3  His  appearance  was  as  lightning,  and  his  raiment  white  as  snow  : 

A.  Appearance.  The  Greek  term,  like  the  correspond- 
ing Hebrew  (Exod.  24  :  17,  sight ;  Ezek.  i  :  16,  28  ;  Dan. 
10  :   18,  appearance),  strictly    means    aspect,    appearance, 


XXVIII.  4,  5-]  CHAPTER  XXVIII.  403 

form,  looks,  alluding  to  the  brightness  or  splendor  of  the 
angel's  appearance.  Matthew  compares  the  latter  to  the 
vividness  or  brightness  of  the  lightning. — B.  His  rai- 
ment, etc.  The  original  term  in  Luke  24  :  4,  "  shining 
(lit.  lightning-like)  garments,"  explains  the  meaning  of 
the  white  raiment=brilliant,  shining  appearance  of  the 
angel's  garments  (see  ann.  to  17  :  2). 
*  And  for  fear  of  him  the  watchers  did  quake,  and  became  as  dead  men. 

A.  The  watchers=the  guard  mentioned  in  27  :  65, 
B. — B.  Did  shake,  etc.  The  terror  inspired  by  the 
earthquake  and  the  appearance  of  the  angel  during  the 
night  overwhelmed  the  keepers,  and  they  fainted  or  lost 
all  consciousness="  became  as  dead  men." 

'  And  the  angel  answered  and  said  unto  the  women,  Fear  not  ye :  for  I 
know  that  ye  seek  Jesus,  which  hath  been  crucified. 

A.  Answered  and  said=addressed  the  women  before 
they  spoke  (see  ii  :  25,  C.) ;  or,  more  precisely,  he 
responded  appropriately  to  the  terror  which  they  mani- 
fested. Matthew  here  resumes  the  direct  narrative  from 
ver.  I.  It  appears  from  Mark  16:  5,  that  after  the  keepers 
had  fainted  on  seeing  the  angel,  the  latter  entered  the 
sepulchre  (see  27  :  60,  B.) ;  afterwards  the  women  fol- 
lowed. The  other  angel,  who  was  also  seen  (Luke  24  : 
4),  remained  silent,  and  Matthew,  who  describes  the 
speaker  alone,  accordingly  does  not  mention  the  other 
(comp.  8  :  28,  B.). — B.  Fear  not  ye,  etc.=yield  not,  like 
the  keepers,  to  your  terror.  They  are  not  servants  of  the 
Lord,  but  ye  know,  love  and  revere  Jesus,  and  have  there- 
fore no  reason  to  be  affrighted  (Mark  16  :  5).  I  know 
that  your  purpose  in  coming  hither  is  to  perform  an  act 
of  reverence  and  devotion. — Jesus  .  .  .  crucified,  lit. 
Jesus,  the  Crucified  One=ye  were  not  ashamed  of  Him 
even  when   He  appeared  as   the   Nazarene  (Mark    16  :  6 


404  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxviii.  6, 7. 

and  Matt.  2  :  23,  C).  Paul  afterwards,  with  fuller  knowl- 
edge than  these  women  possessed,  even  gloried  in  the 
cross  of  Christ  (Gal.  6  :  14). 

'  He  is  not  here  :  for  he  is  risen,  even  as  he  said.  Come,  see  the  place 
where  the  Lord  lay. 

The  women  are  not  yet  prepared  to  understand  and 
believe  the  fact  of  the  Lord's  resurrection.  The  angel 
recalls  to  their  minds  the  Lord's  own  repeated  predictions 
of  the  event  (16  :  21,  F.),  and  desires  them  to  approach 
nearer  and  view  the  vacant  spot  or  cavity  which  the  body 
had  occupied,  as  an  evidence  that  He  lived  again  (comp. 
Luke  24  :  5-7). — ^The  Lord^of  the  angels  as  well  as  of 
human  beings  (Phil.  2  :  10). 

^  And  go  quickly,  and  tell  his  disciples,  He  is  risen  from  the  dead ;  and, 
lo,  he  goeth  before  you  into  Galilee ;  there  shall  ye  see  him  :  lo,  I  have 
told  you. 

The  disciples,  who  could  not  originally  understand  the 
Lord's  predictions  respecting  His  death  and  resurrection 
(Mark  9:31,  32),  are  not  even  yet  sufficiently  strong  in 
faith,  in  order  to  believe  the  statement  previously  made 
by  the  Lord  (see  Luke  24:9-11).  The  angel  is  now 
commissioned  to  send  to  the  disciples  the  message  that 
the  event  had  really  occurred  ;  he  repeats  the  promise 
which  the  Lord  Himself  had  made  in  26  :  32. — There 
shall  ye  see  him.  These  words  the  women  are  directed 
to  repeat  to  the  disciples  (see  ver.  10,  below).  Divine 
pity  sustains  the  fainting  disciples  in  this  hour  of  trial 
(Mark  16  :  10);  that  same  pity  remembered  specially  the 
weeping  and  penitent  Peter  (Mark  16  :  7). — He  goeth 
before  you==He  will  there  be  found  by  you. — Lo  (2  :  9, 
B.). — 1  have  told  you=tell  the  disciples,  when  they  hesi- 
tate to  believe  you  (Luke  24  :  11),  that  an  angel  from 
heaven  had  revealed  the  fact. 


XXVIII.  8-IO.]  CHAPTER  XXVIII.  405 

'  And  they  departed  quickly  from  the  tomb  with  fear  and  great  joy;  and 
ran  to  bring  his  disciples  word. 

Before  the  women  had  fully  recovered  from  the  "  fear  " 
which  the  unexpected  appearance  of  the  angels  had 
inspired,  they  receive,  to  their  "great  joy,"  unquestion- 
able evidence  of  the  Lord's  resurrection.  In  this  state  of 
mind  they  hastened  ("  did  run  ")  to  the  spot  where  the 
disciples  were  assembled,  without  pausing  to  communi- 
cate the  wonderful  intelligence  to  any  one  whom  they 
encountered  on  the  way  (Mark  16  :  8). 

'  And,  behold,  Jesus  met  them,  saying,  All  hail.  And  they  came  and 
took  hold  of  his  feet,  and  worshipped  him. 

A.     And  as  they   went.     Their   faith  in    the   angel's 

words  is  rewarded  before  they  reach  the  appointed  spot, 

by  the  appearance  of  the  Lord   Himself,  who  graciously 

addresses    them. — All     hail.      The    Greek    term,    which 

occurs  also  in   26  :  49,   B.  (which  see),  is  here  employed 

(without  the  word  "  all,"  which  the  English  phrase  often 

supplies)    as    a    most  kind    and   friendly  salutation. — B. 

Took    hold  .  .  .  feet.      Compare    the    conduct    of    the 

woman    of    Shunem    (2     Kings   4  :  27).     These    devout 

women,  in  their  rapture  at  finding  the  Lord  whom  they 

worshipped    (2  :  2,    D.),    yielded    unconsciously  to    their 

fear  of  again  losing  Him,  and  instinctively  clasp  His  feet 

with  their  hands,  as  if  they  wished  to  retain  Him  forever. 

A  similar  movement,  from  a  similar   impulse,  seems  to 

have  been  made  by  Mary  Magdalene  (John  20  :  17). 

'°  Then  saith  Jesus  unto  them,  Fear  not :  go  tell  my  brethren,  that  they 
depart  into  Galilee,  and  there  shall  they  see  me. 

A.  Then  said  Jesus=to  the  women  who  still  trembled 
on  seeing  one  that  had  been  dead  now  living  and  moving 
before  them,  and  who  were,  nevertheless,  filled  with  joy. 
The  wonderful  events  which  here  so  rapidly  occurred  will 
easily  account    for  their  conflicting  emotions. — B.     Tell 


4o6  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.      [xxviii.  ii,  12. 

my  brethren.  The  Lord  had  previously  called  His  dis- 
ciples  "  friends"  (John  15  :  15).  Here,  as  in  12  :  49,  50, 
with  overflowing  love,  and  in  view  of  their  sanctification 
and  adoption  as  the  children  of  God  (Rom.  8  :  14-17-, 
I  John  3  :  2),  as  well  as  for  the  purpose  of  indicating 
that  He  retains  His  human  nature,  even  in  His  glorified 
state.  He  condescends  to  call  them  brethren  (Hebr.  2:11). 
The  same  gracious  message  is  also  given  to  Mary  Mag- 
dalene (John  20  :  17),  and  here  a  renewed  invitation  is 
sent  to  meet  Him  in  Galilee  (26  :  32). 

"  Now,  while  they  were  going,  behold,  some  of  the  guard  came  into  the 
city,  and  told  unto  the  chief  priests  all  the  things  that  were  come  to  pass. 

A.  Now  .  .  .  going.  The  keepers,  after  recovering 
from  their  terror,  and  finding  the  grave  open,  had  with- 
drawn from  the  spot,  probably  before  the  arrival  of  the 
women.  Hence,  at  nearly  the  same  time,  tidings  of  the 
Lord's  resurrection  are  brought  both  to  His  friends  and 
to  His  enemies. — B.  Some  of  the  guard  (27  :  65)=the 
officers,  or,  possibly,  the  boldest  of  their  number. — C. 
Told,  etc.  The  keepers  were  seriously  embarrassed.  A 
Roman  sentinel  who  deserted  his  post,  or  slept  during 
his  watch,  was  exposed  to  the  most  severe  military 
punishment  (comp.  the  case  in  Acts  12  :  19).  These 
keepers,  however,  had  been  temporarily  transferred  to 
the  service  of  the  chief  priests  (27  :  62-66)  ;  to  the  latter, 
accordingly,  some  of  their  number  report  the  wonderful 
events  which  had  occurred  during  the  night,  and  which 
they  represent  as  a  sufficient  excuse  for  the  failure  of 
their  mission.  They  doubtless  understood  the  position 
of  affairs,  and  hoped  to  make  a  satisfactory  arrangement 
with  their  employers. 

"  And  when  they  were  assembled  with  the  elders,  and  had  taken  counsel, 
they  gave  large  money  unto  the  soldiers, 


XXVIII.  13-]  CHAPTER  XX  I'll  I.  407 

When  they^^the  chief  priests  just  mentioned.  A 
meeting  of  the  council  is  held  at  once,  and  the  difficulties 
of  the  case  are  considered.  On  the  one  hand,  the  testi- 
mony of  the  keepers  is  clear,  consistent  with  the  whole 
history,  character  and  words  of  Jesus,  and  incapable  of 
being  contradicted.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the  facts  be 
made  known  publicly,  the  chief  priests  can  look  for  no 
other  result  than  their  own  ruin  (comp.  Acts  4:2;  5  : 
28).  Consequently  they  are  in  the  power  of  the  keepers, 
and  hence  we  hear  of  no  rebukes  or  menaces  addressed 
to  the  latter.  They  finally  determine  to  bribe  the 
soldiers  and  conceal  all  the  facts  from  the  public  ;  the 
circumstances  admitted  of  no  rational  method  of  account- 
ing for  the  disappearance  of  the  body  except  a  statement 
of  the  truth,  and  they  accordingly  can  assign  only  an 
improbable  and  insufficient  reason. — B,  Gave  large,  etc. 
The  word  rendered  large  is  translated  variously  :  much 
(Luke  7  .  12 ;  Acts  5  :  37) ;  many  (Luke  8  :  32  ;  23  :  9)  ; 
enough  (Luke  22  :  38) ;  it  indicates  here  that  a  sufficiently 
large  sum  of  money  was  paid  to  the  soldiers,  both  to 
satisfy  their  cupidity,  and  also  to  induce  them  to  expose 
themselves  to  the  infamy  of  sleeping  on  their  post.  The 
amount  was  evidently  far  more  than  the  pitiful  sum  paid 
to  Judas  (26  :  15). 

'^  Saying,  Say  ye,  His  disciples  came  by  night,  and  stole  him  away  while 
we  slept. 

That  the  body  of  the  Lord  had  disappeared  from  the 
grave  was  unquestionable;  His  enemies,  who  are  resolved 
to  conceal  the  truth,  can  devise  no  explanation  which 
will  satisfactorily  account  for  the  event  without  involving 
the  keepers  in  some  danger.  The  explanation  which 
they  finally  determine  to  give  is  an  obvious  absurdity. 
For  if  the  keepers  were  asleep,  how  could  they  know 
who  had  stolen  the  body  ?     But  if  they  did   know,  why 


4o8  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW,      [xxviii.  14,  15. 

(lid   they  not   endeavor  to   recover  the   body   from   the 

guilty  persons? 

"*  And  if  this  come  to  the  governor's  ears,  we  will  persuade  him,  and  rid 
you  of  care. 

Possibly  they  assure  the  watch  that  Pilate  would  not 
closely  investigate  the  matter,  inasmuch  as  the  soldiers 
had  been  temporarily  released  from  his  immediate 
service.  But  if — they  continue,  in  their  appeal  to  the 
keepers — he  should  hear  ("  come  .  .  .  ears  ")  that  you 
arc  reported  to  have  slept  at  your  post,  or  should  subject 
you  to  an  examination,  we  will  persuade  him=we  will  in- 
duce him  to  overlook  the  matter  by  alleging  that  we,  your 
immediate  employers,  are  satisfied  with  your  conduct. 
Possibly  they  imply  that  they  will  bribe  Pilate  also, 
whose  venal  character  was  well  known.  Thus— they 
conclude — we  will  rid  you  of  care^=make  you  free  from 
anxiety.  The  same  Greek  term  is  translated  in  i  Cor. 
7  :  32,  "  without  carefulness."  The  whole  circumstance 
of  bargaining  with  the  keepers  was  excessively  mortify- 
ing to  the  pride  of  the  Jews. 

''  So  they  took  the  money,  and  did  as  they  were  taught :  and  this  saying 
was  spread  al^road  among  the  Jews  and  continueth  until  this  day. 

A.  So  they  took  .  ,  .  taught.  The  keepers,  in  con- 
sideration of  the  large  amount  of  the  bribe,  con.sented  to 
follow  the  plan  which  they  were  "  taught  "  to  adopt,  sub- 
mitting to  the  disgrace  and  danger,  in  view  of  their 
pecuniary  gains. — B.  And  this  saying=-this  unfounded 
statement  or  story  that  the  Lord's  disciples  had  secretly 
stolen  and  hidden  His  body. — C.  Was  spread  abroad. 
This  slander  was  so  successfully  propagated  among  the 
unbelieving  Jews  by  the  Lord's  enemies,  that  long  after 
the  time  of  the  evangelist  it  was  repeated  by  Jewish 
writers.  But  the  all-seeing  God  knew  the  truth!  His 
inspired  servant  has  here  communicated  it  to  the  world. 


XXVIII.  i6,  17.]  CHAPTER  XXVIH.  409 

— D.     Until  this  day=the  time  when  Matthew  wrote  the 
present  narrative  (27  :  8). 

■*  But  the  eleven  disciples  went  into  Galilee,  unto  the  mountain  where 
Jesus  had  appointed  them. 

A.  But.  Matthew  simply  states  the  fact  without 
specifying  the  time.  To  the  apostles  Christ  "  showed 
himself  alive  after  his  passion  (^suffering,  Matt.  26  :  i) 
by  many  infallible  proofs,  being  seen  of  them  forty  days" 
(Acts  I  :  3).  When  He  occasionally  appeared  during 
this  period  He  addressed  to  them  many  impressive 
words,  which  the  evangelists  record.  Matthew  here 
selects  that  appearance  of  the  Lord  with  which  the  insti- 
tution of  the  sacrament  of  Holy  Baptism  was  con- 
nected. Inasmuch  as,  according  to  Luke  24:50,  51; 
Acts  I  :  12,  the  Lord's  ascension  occurred  at  or  near 
Bethany,  on  the  Mount  of  Olives  (see  21  :  17),  whereas 
the  words  here  recorded  were  spoken  in  Galilee,  it  is  ob- 
vious that  the  present  appearance  of  the  Lord  occurred 
before  the  day  of  His  ascension. — B.  The  eleven,  etc. 
(see  26  :  32).  It  is  probably  this  appearance  of  the  Lord 
to  which  Paul  refers  in  i  Cor.  15:6,  when  "  above  five 
hundred  brethren  at  once  "  saw  Him.  In  that  passage  the 
apostle,  omitting  the  several  appearances  which  the 
women  witnessed,  specifies  those  only  which  were  beheld 
by  one  or  more  of  the  eleven.  The  latter  may  be  sup- 
posed to  have  gathered  together  on  the  occasion  the 
Galilean  believers,  who  were  numerous  ;  in  Jerusalem 
"the  number  of  names  together  were  about  a  hundred 
and  twenty"  (Acts  1:15). 

"  And  when  they  saw  him,  they  worshipped  him  :  but  some  doubted. 

A.  When  they=the  assembled  multitude.— Worshipped 
(ver,  9,  B.,  above). — B.  But  some  doubted.  The  orig- 
inal word  (see  above,  14  :  31,  C.)  here  indicates  a  hesita- 


4IO  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxviii.  iS. 

tion  on  the  part  of  some  to  obey  the  first  impulse  and 
unite  in  the  worship  of  the  Saviour.  The  eleven  cannot 
be  meant,  for  they  had,  veiy  soon  after  the  resurrection, 
seen  the  risen  Lord  (comp.  John  20  :  20).  Those  who 
"  doubted  "  (namely,  whether  He  who  now  appeared  was 
really  Jesus  of  Nazareth)  were,  accordingly,  some  of  the 
five  hundred  mentioned  above  (ver.  16,  B.)  Even  the 
eleven  themselves  could  not  believe  the  tidings  when 
first  brought  by  the  women  (Luke  24  :  1 1  ;  John  20  :  25), 
with  which  unbelief  the  Lord  upbraided  them  (Mark 
16  :  14),  When  they  afterwards  saw  Him  themselves, 
they  were  at  first  "  affrighted,  and  supposed  that  they 
had  seen  a  spirit  "  (Luke  24  :  37) ;  then,  after  they  re- 
ceived proofs  of  His  bodily  appearance,  they  "  believed 
not  for  joy  "  (Luke  24  :  4i)^the  transition  from  the 
deepest  grief,  hopelessness  and  terror  to  the  most  exalted 
joy,  overpowered  them.  Such  varying  emotions  may 
have  controlled  "  some  "  of  the  five  hundred  ;  while  fear 
had  seized  them,  joy  and  hope  dawned  in  their  souls,  and 
they  doubted=experienced  in  their  souls  a  conflict  of 
opposite  emotions. 

'*  And  Jesus  came  to  them  and  spake,  saying,  All  authority  hath  been 
given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  on  earth. 

A.  Came=drew  near  unto,  approached,  as  the  original 
implies ;  when  He  was  first  seen,  He  was  still  at  a  certain 
distance  from  them ;  He  came  near  in  order  to  convince 
them  of  the  reality  of  His  presence.^B.  All  authority, 
etc.  (comp.  for  the  sense  11  :  27,  B.,  where  the  same  em- 
phatic term  all  occurs,  and  see  Dan.  7  :  14). — In  heaven 
and  {upon)  earth=so  "  that  he  might  fill  all  things  "  (Eph. 
4  :  10),  namely.  He,  the  God-Man,  is  henceforth  to  reign 
in  glory,  both  as  the  eternal  Son  of  God,  and  as  the  Son 
of  man.  His  human  nature  being  raised  to  a  participa- 
tion of  the  glory  of  His  divine  nature  (sec  26  :  64,  C.). 


xxviii.  19.]  CHAPTER  XXVIIT.  411 

"  Go  ye  therefore,  and  make  disciples  of  all  the  nations,  baptizing  them 
in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost  : 

A.  Therefore  =.si nee  I,  your  Lord  and  King,  in  the 
fulness  of  My  power,  give  you  such  a  commission  and 
such  authority.  The  Lord,  in  the  brief  but  comprehen- 
sive words  of  this  verse,  first  prescribes  the  missionary 
duties  of  the  Church  ;  secondly,  institutes  Baptism  ;  and, 
thirdly,  proclaims  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity. — B.  Make 
disciples.  The  construction  in  the  Greek  (the  employ- 
ment of  the  participles  "  baptizing,"  "  teaching  ")  shows 
that  the  mode  of  "  making  disciples,"  as  far  as  human 
instrumentality  is  employed  by  the  Lord,  consists  in  the 
two  acts  of,  first,  "  baptizing,"  and,  secondly,  of  "  teach- 
ing "  (ver.  20),  so  that,  according  to  the  order  of  the 
words  adopted  by  the  Saviour,  and  doubtless  in  view  of 
Infant  Baptism,  the  individual  is  first  baptized,  then 
taught  (receiving  the  engrafted  word,  James  i  :  21),  and 
so  made  a  disciple.  Alford  says:  "The  process  of 
ordinary  discipleship  is  from  baptism  to  instruction — i.  e. 
is  admission  in  infancy  to  the  covenant,  and  grotving  up 
into  an  observing  of  all  things,  etc. — the  exceptioyi  being, 
what  circumstances  rendered  so  frequent  in  the  early 
Church,  instruction  before  baptism  in  the  case  of  adults." 
In  the  age  of  the  apostles,  when  none  but  unbaptized 
adults  were  addressed,  the  former  first  preached,  and  then 
"  made  disciples  "  (as  the  word  translated  "  taught  "  in 
Acts  14  :  21  properly  implies)  by  baptizing  and  further 
instructing  those  hearers  who  yielded  to  the  power  of  the 
truth  (comp.  the  cases  in  Acts  8:12;  19  :  1-8).  The 
Lord's  words  in  the  present  verse,  however,  refer  to  the 
Church  in  its  subsequent,  fully  organized  and  established 
form  ;  it  is  His  purpose  that  infants  should  be  regularly 
introduced  into  it  by  the  sacrament  of  Baptism  (see  19  : 
14,  B.).     To   this  right  and   title  to   admission  into  the 


412  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxviii.  19. 

Church,  and  to  the  blessings  of  baptism,  so  graciously 
given  to  children,  Peter  refers,  when,  after  offering  bap- 
tism to  his  penitent  hearers,  he  adds:  "The  promise  is 
unto  you,  and  to  your  children,  etc."  (Acts  2  :  39).  The 
reception  of  infants  into  the  old  covenant  is  strictly  en- 
joined in  the  O.  T.,  and  circumcision  was  instituted  at  a 
very  early  period  as  the  initiatory  rite  (Gen.  17  :  9-14). 
When  baptism  was  substituted  by  the  Saviour  for  cir- 
cumcision, as  we  learn  from  Col.  2  :  ii,  12,  it  was  not  the 
purpose  of  Him  who  said  of  little  children,  "  Of  such  is 
the  kingdom  of  heaven"  (see  19  :  14,  B.),  to  abridge  the 
privileges  enjoyed  by  infants  under  the  old  covenant,  but 
much  rather  to  enlarge  them  under  the  new  and  better 
covenant.  Hence  baptism  is  here  mentioned  as  the  first 
act  in  the  process  of  "  making  disciples,"  and  is  followed 
by  that  of  "  teaching  "  (ver.  20). — C.  All  the  nations^ 
all  other  nations  as  well  as  the  Jews,  who  are  now  no 
longer  God's  peculiar  people  (Rom.,  ch.  1 1).  These  em- 
phatic words,  "  all  the  nations,"  admit  of  no  restriction. 
The  Gospel  with  all  its  blessings  is  designed  for  all  men 
without  exception  ;  every  individual  who  does  not  wil- 
fully reject  the  Gospel  terms  (Acts  20  :  21)  here  receives 
a  right  to  be  admitted  into  the  Church="  all  the  world  " 
— "every  creature"  (Mark  16:  15).  Nations  consist  of 
adults  and  children  ;  consequently,  all  these  receive  the 
privilege  of  entering  the  Church  by  Holy  Baptism,  and 
of  being  thus  placed  under  its  life-giving  influence.  See 
the  next  ann.  D.  "  God  so  loved  the  world,  etc."  (John 
3  :  16). — D.  Baptizing.  The  holy  sacrament  of  Chris- - 
tian  Baptism  is  in  its  whole  character  different  from  John's 
baptism  (see  3  :  6,  A.).  The  former  is  here  set  forth, 
first,  as  a  universal  institution,  embracing  even  the 
youngest  children,  for  whom  the  Lord  as  little  here  for- 
gets to  provide,  as  when   He  said  to   Peter:  "Feed  my 


XXVIII.  19-]  CHAPTER  XXVIII.  413 

lambs ''  (John  20  :  15  ;  Acts  2  :  39) ;  secondly,  as  a  perma- 
nent usage  of  the  Church  ;  and,  thirdly,  as  a  means  of 
grace.  In  respect  to  its  efficacy  as  a  means  of  grace,  the 
Lord  Himself,  referring  prophetically  to  the  present 
institution  of  the  rite,  speaks  of  the  baptized  person  as 
one  "born  of  water"  (John  3:5);  subsequently  Paul 
calls  it  "  the  washing  of  regeneration  "  (Tit.  3  :  5).  Its  sav- 
ing efficacy,  conveyed  through  faith,  is  abundantly  proved 
by    passages    like    Mark    16  :  16;  Acts    2  :  38  ;     22  :  16; 

1  Peter  3:21;  Eph.  5  :  26.  (On  the  mode  of  baptism, 
see  3  :  6,  B.)  When  Paul  in  i  Cor.  7  :  14  declares  that 
the  children  of  a  believing  father  or  mother  are  "  holy," 
he  must  refer  to  the  influence  of  baptism  which  had  been 
administered  to  them,  even  as  in  i  Cor.  6:11  and  Eph. 
5  :  26  he  connects  sanctification  with  baptism.  The 
appeal  which  he  makes  to  children  in  Eph.  6  :  i  assumes 
that  they  have  already  been  baptized. — E.  In  the  name 
of.  To  baptize  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  etc.,  here 
implies  not  only  that  the  act  is  performed  by  divine 
authority  (see  7  :  22,  E.),  but  also  that  as  John's  baptism 
was  "  unto  repentance  "^a  confession  of  sins  that  should 
be  repented  of  (see  3:11,  A.),  so  the  baptism  7i7ito  the 
Father,  etc.  (as  the  word  is  in  the  original,  or  into,  as 
rendered  in  Rom.  6:3;  Gal.  3  :  27),  is,  further,  equivalent 
to  a  confession  of  faith  in  the  Triune  God.  The  whole 
act,  moreover,  is  the  consecration  of  the  individual  to 
God;  he  had  been  "by  nature  a  child  of  wrath  "  (Eph. 

2  :  3),  but  is  now  in  Christ  "made  nigh  "  (Eph.  2  :  13), 
grafted  into  the  Church  (i  Cor.  12  :  13),  and  consecrated 
to  God  forever.  Hence  Paul,  who  says  only  figuratively 
that  the  Jews  had  been  baptized  "unto  Moses"  (i  Cor. 
10  :  2),  absolutely  denies  in  i  Cor.  1:13  that  in  the  case 
of  Christian  baptism  any  one  can  be  baptized  literally  in 
(unto)   the   name  of  a   human  being.     This  holy  rite  is 


414  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  [xxvin.  20 

designed  to  connect  the  baptized  person  intimately  with 
the  Triune  God,  the  fountain  of  life,  as  the  branch  is 
connected  with  the  vine  (John  15  :  4).  We  were — says 
Paul  in  Rom.  6  :  3 — baptized  into  Christ's  death=ad- 
mitted  into  union  with  Him  and  full  participation  in  all 
the  benefits  of  His  death.  At  the  same  time,  even  as  in 
the  cases  mentioned  in  2  Kings  5:14;  John  9  :  7,  so  in 
Holy  Baptism,  "  it  is,"  as  Luther  says,  "  not  the  water 
that  produces  these  effects,  but  the  Word  of  God  [the 
divine  command  in  Matt.  28  :  19  and  promise  in  Mark 
16  :  16]  which  accompanies  and  is  connected  with  the 
water,  and  our  faith  which  relies  on  the  Word  of  God 
connected  with  the  water." — F.  The  Father  .  .  .  Ghost. 
The  doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  which  is  fully  set  forth  in  the 
writings  of  the  apostles,  is  here  announced  by  the  Saviour. 
Each  of  the  Three  Persons  is  distinct  in  name  and  opera- 
tions, each  Person  is  God,  and  yet  the  Three  Persons  are 
only  one  God  :  hence  the  Lord  does  not  say  :  in  the 
nanus,  as  of  many,  but  as  of  one=in  the  name  (see  3  : 
17,  B.). 

^°  Teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  commanded  you  : 
and,  lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world.     Amen. 

A.  Teaching.  The  sense  of  this  word  maybe  gathered 
from  many  other  passages  in  which  it  occurs ;  for  instance, 
4:23;  5:19;  9:35;  15:9;  it  is  usually  applied 
specially  to  the  act  of  conveying  instructions  orally,  or 
by  word  of  mouth,  while  the  word  similarly  translated  in 
the  foregoing  verse  (19,  B.)  includes  other  official  acts  of 
ecclesiastical  teachers. — Them^the  individuals  constitut- 
ing the  "  nations."— B.  To  observe  .  .  .  commanded 
you.  The  word  translated  to  observe,  besides  the  general 
meaning,  to  obey  or  [\x\^\  precepts  or  commandments,  also 
indicates  the  duty  of  receiving  divine  truth  with  faith, 
as  passages    like    John  8:51;    14  :  24;    17  :  6;    2    Tim 


xxviii.  20.]  CHAPTER  XXVIII.  415 

4:7;  Rev.  22  :  9,  abundantly  show.  Hence  "  all  the 
things"  which  the  Lord  Jesus  commanded  (=enjoined 
upon,  or  prescribed)  include  the  doctrines  as  well  as  the 
duties  of  our  holy  religion  ;  both  are  to  be  conscien- 
tiously and  faithfully  maintained. — All  things=forbid- 
ding  the  slightest  change  in  any  of  the  doctrines  and 
duties  of  religion.  The  grace  conferred,  first,  in  Holy 
Baptism,  then  through  the  Word  (religious  instruction, 
Scriptures),  and,  lastly,  in  the  Holy  Communion  (as  the 
three  divinely-appointed  means  of  grace  given  to  the 
Church,  through  all  of  which  the  Holy  Spirit  operates  on 
man),  conveys  the  needed  wisdom  and  strength  to 
"  observe  all  things,  etc.": — C.  Lo.  Once  more  the  Lord 
employs  this  word,  in  order  to  direct  attention  specially 
to  the  words  that  follow  (see  i  :  20,  B.). — D.  I  am  .  .  . 
world.  That  end  of  the  world  of  which  the  Lord  here 
speaks  (see  24  :  3,  E.)  is  the  period  described  in  2  Peter 
3  :  7-10,  when  the  "day  of  judgment,"  or  "the  day  of 
the  Lord,"  shall  have  come,  and  when  "  the  earth  and 
the  works  that  are  therein  shall  be  burned  up."  The  first 
disciples,  to  whom  these  words  were  addressed,  closed 
their  lives  long  before  it  was  possible  for  them  to  visit  all 
nations  themselves :  nevertheless,  the  Lord  says  :  "  I  AM 
with  you  alway."  He,  therefore,  evidently  designs  to 
extend  the  promise  to  those  who  succeeded  the  original 
preachers  of  the  Gospel  in  the  divinely-instituted  ofifice 
of  the  ministry.  These  succeeding  heralds  of  the  cross 
appointed  or  ordained  other  teachers,  and  the  latter  again 
transmitted  the  ofifice  in  their  turn  to  others  (see  i  Tim. 
3  :  I,  ff.  ;  5  :  22  ;  Tit.  r  :  5).  Hence,  the  Lord  Jesus  will 
abide  with  all  His  believing  people=the  Church,  while 
the  earth  endures. — Alway,  lit.  all  the  </^jj-=perpetually 
(comp.  Ps.  72  :  5)  ;  in  Gen.  8  :  22  the  Hebrew  (see  mar- 
gin of  Engl.  Bible)  is  :  "  Unto  all  the  days  of  the  earth  " 


4i6  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.        [xxviii.  20. 

=while  the  earth  remaineth  ;  afterwards,  "  we  shall  ever 
be  with  the  Lord  "  (i  Thess.  4  :  17).  Christ  is  with  His 
servants  in  the  fulness  of  His  grace  and  power  (Gen.  39  : 
2  ;  2  Cor.  12:9),  and  with  the  gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
(comp.  Matt.  18  :  20,  C,  and  John  14  :  16,  20,  23). — I  am 
with  you="  in  the  fullest  sense  ;  not  the  Divine  Presence 
as  distinguished  from  the  Hiitnanity  of  Christ.  His  Hu- 
manity is  with  us  likewise." — Alford.  The  possession 
by  the  latter  of  the  divine  attributes  is  here  implied  (see 
ver.  18,  B.).— E.     Amen  (see  5  :  18,  A.). 


U'be  Hmencaii  CburcF)  1l3i6ror\>  Series. 


By  Subscription, 


IN  Twelve  Voliimes,  at  S2.50  i'er  Volume 


Vol.  I. 

Vol.  11. 

Vol.  111. 

Vol.  IV. 

Vol.  V. 

Vol.  VI. 

Vol.  Vll. 

Vol.  VIII.- 


Vol.      X. 


Vol.    XI. 


The  Religious  Forces  of  tlie  United  States,  H.  K.  Carroll,  LL.D., 
Editor  of  The  Independent,  Supt.  Church  Statistics,  U.  S.  Census,  etc. 
Baptists,     ....      Rfcv.  A.   H.  Nhwman,  D.D.,  LL.D., 
Professor  of  Church  History,  McMaster 
University  of  Toronto,  Ont. 

Rev.  Williston  Walker,   Ph.D., 

Professor  of  Modern  Church  History, 
Theological  Seminary,  Hartford,  Conn. 

Rev.  H.  E.  Jacobs,  D.D.,  LL.D., 

Professor  of  Systematic  Theology  in  the 
Ev.  Lutheran  Seminary,  Phila.,  Pa. 

Rev.  J.  M.  Buckley,  D.D.,  LL.D., 

Editor  of  the  New  York  Christian 
Advocate. 

Rev.  Robert  Ellis  Thompson,  D.D., 

Philadelphia.  Pa. 
Rev.  C.  C.  Tiffany,  D.D., 
New  York. 
Reformed  Church,  Dutcii,  Rev.  E.  T.  Corwin,  D.D., 

Rector  Hertzog.Hall,  New  Brunswick,  N.J. 
Reformed  Church,  German, Rev.  J.   H.  Dubbs,  D.D., 

Professor  of  History,  Franklyn  and 
Marshall  College,  Lancaster,  Pa. 

Rev.  J.  T.  Hamilton,  D.D., 
Professor  of  Church  History,  Theological 
Seminary,  Bethlehem,  Pa. 

Rev.  T.  O'Gorman,  D.D., 

Professor  of  Church  History,  Catholic 
.University,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Rev.  J.   H.  Allen,  D.D., 

Late  Lecturer  on  Ecclesiastical  History, 
Harvard  University,  Cambridge,  Mass. 
Rev.  Richard  Eddy,  D.D., 

Providence,  R.  I. 
Rev.  Gross  Alexander,  D.D., 


Congiegationalists, 

Lutherans, 

Methodists, 

Presbyterians,   . 
Protestant  Episcopal, 


Moravian, 


Vol.     IX.      Roman  Catholics, 


Unitarians, 

Universalists, 
M.  E.  Church 


So., 


Vol.   Xll.- 


Piesbyterians,  So.,  . 

United  Presbyterians, 
Cumb.  Presbyterians, 

Disciples,    . 

Friends, 

United  Brethren, 
Ev.  Association, 

Bibliography,    . 


Professor    Greek    and    N.   T.   Exegesis, 
Nashville,  Tenn. 

Rev.  Thomas  C.  Johnson,  D.D., 
Professor     Ecclesiastical     History     and 
Polity,  Hampden-Sidney,  Va. 

Rev.  James  B.  Scouller,  D.D., 

Newville,  Pa. 
Rev.  R.  V.  Foster,  D.D., 
Professor  Biblical  Exegesis,  Cumberland 
University,  Lebanon,  Tenn. 

Rev.   R.   B.  Tyler,  D.D.,  New  York. 
Prof.  A.  C.    Thomas,  M.A., 

Haverford  College,  Haverford,  Pa. 
R.   H.  Thomas,  M.D.,  Baltimore,  Md. 
Rev.    D.    Berger,  D.D.,  Dayton,   Ohio. 
Rev.  S.   p.  Spreng, 
Editor  Evangelical   Messenger,  Cleve- 
land, Ohio. 

Rev.  Samuel  Macauley  Jackson, 

New  York. 


•el*  < 


?>l      A^ 


1  1  .         j^' 


i,\'-'3 


•'•■^  C 


